Ken, if you are looking for plants that will thrive in shade, how about some ferns? They grow in wooded areas here. I have a bush back of my house that keeps the sun from reaching that area. They have grown there. They are ruffled and pretty. Also, violets have grown there. Just go out in the woods, dig a couple up and set them in your yard.
That's a possibility. I certainly have enough of them on my land up north. I have to cut my way through the woods with a machete if I don't clear them out regularly. Sorry, it took me so long to reply. For some reason, I had missed your post.
Don't forget the violets. They say that forgiveness is the fragrance of violets on the shoe that stepped on them.
Another free plant is wild periwinkle or vinca minor. It is found in shaded areas and spreads to eventually cover a large area. It grows close to the ground and makes good ground cover. https://uswildflowers.com/detail.php?SName=Vinca minor
The woods are growing in on us so that we see less sunshine each year.We both have used a machett here for 23 years but gave up last couple years the potato vines have taken over. Hubby made our macheti 29 yr ago from an automobile leaf spring soaked it in heated oil overnight to temper it. Its been a good one. I get depressed looking at all the vines that need to be gone.They climb the younger trees and cover them,not good.
I added some more earth to sections of the first three sections that I did and re-seeded. I don't think the soil was deep enough in the first ones that I did. Lupines are planted in the spring or fall, so they should be okay. I finished that section between my path and the other bit that I did around the tree and my oldest compost pile. This is just the fence path. Since some of the soil that I added fell into the red mulch, I added some more red mulch.
Yeah, I think they'll do well. It might be a year or two before they flower but I think they'll survive. Lupines do well in the wild here, so they should survive.
Our yucca plant is blooming again, and it is probably a good 7-8 feet tall this year. It does not look like much all year, and then in the fall it has that beautiful white flower spike.
Ken, we watched this Monarch morph from a cocoon right putside our porch. We had pictures of it but can't find them all. Silkweed or Milk Thistle'forgot'. Monarch catapillar ate most of the leaves off before becoming a butterfly, These bushes are growing everywhere now but the butterflies haven't been here in about 3 years. Back to subject, so much to do it hurts to even discuss it.,