"Dawn" wrote in message
om...
About half of our new yard is under tall elm and oak trees. Although
the previous owner was fighting to keep grass growing under there we
are thinking of going with more natural plants and bushes.

We're not only "woods-like", but are in an oak forest in zone 6b on the Blue
Ridge. Flourishing around the edge of the woods are sweet woodruff, azaleas,
Asarum canadense (native wild ginger), lilies of the valley, hellebores,
hostas, pulmonaria. Not flourishing, but struggling valiantly to get
established, is Mitchella repens (partridgeberry). Nice closer in to the
house is Sarcococca hookeriana (sweet box). There also stands of Starry
false Solomon's seal and wild geranium (brief but lovely, in spring) not
wiped out by the aggressive spread of honeysuckle and garlic mustard, and
plenty of sassafras, which I encourage for the leaves in the fall.