OK, the inside remodeling is almost done and the weather is getting cooler
so it's time to start thinking of landscaping the back yard and the front
too. Two things we absolutely have to have is a storeroom and a screened in
porch. I have several large Chinese Tallow trees, one tree I'm not sure
what kind it is, and a couple of small Pecan trees in back. The back yard
is about 80' wide and 50' deep. There's also some English ivy in several
spots in back and on the back wall of the house is what I think is a ficus
of some kind. I bought some Irish moss for some of the shady areas,
especially by the a/c drip. There are naturalised Corn lilies there as well
that I would like to keep. I need ideas on shady and semi shady plants,
things that would do well with a minimum of care and would possibly stay
green all year. I'm in zone 9.

I don't really want a lot of flowers because I don't want a lot of bees and
such around. Has anyone ever done a garden with just foliage?

I am going to put in a nicer birdbath than I have now, some garden
ornaments, and something to hide the phone box the phone company so kindly
put in my yard.

One of the problem areas is going to be where my dad had a sort of
garage/workshop with a cement rubble floor. He did a lot of work on his
cars there so I suspect the dirt will have to be removed. I finally talked
him into getting rid of the awful thing Anyone else dealt with this kind
of problem?

The front is easier except for the ficus vine that's almost impossible to
get rid of. I would love to get rid of it and put something nice along the
walls like some type of hedge.

Shell