Sounds like you have some shady areas....you might try some Heucheras or Tiarellas...they are nice accent plants with colorful foliage.

If you have pics of plants you need ID's for, go to the Name That Plant forum....those guys are GOOD!
You will generally get very fast responses...

Here is a link that might be useful: Name That Plant

Before planting alot of new plants I would ammend the soil heavily with compost, coffee grounds, and a bag of rabbit feed(alfalfa pellets). This will make sure any new plants have excellent soil to grow in. Plus it is a whole lot easier to do it before the plants are in. Check out the compost forum and the organic gardening forum for great ideas on getting the best soil for your plants.

Lee

Thanks so much for the tips! I need all the help I can get. :)

I started gardening 5 years ago, before I knew about the gardenweb, and what gave me a jump start about choosing plants (and still does) is to visit botanical gardens and stopping at homes where the yard looks interesting just to look at overall layout and design. Sometimes, I go up to the door and ring the bell if I have a question, or leave a note. I have made some "gardener friends" this way and in your own neighborhood, this is fun!

Watching gardening shows on PBS can be sort of helpful. There are usually many, many books at the library and during the winter, I love to check them out and do a little dreaming. But after my few meager years of gardening, I've come to realize that the design of your garden is just as important as the specific plants you (or someone) put there. Such as, do you garden to improve your view from the house, or when you're looking at your house from the driveway, or the street, or the sidewalk ... and where do you start? Sometimes, nature hands you a clue (like when you have to take out a tree, or something dies and leaves a gaping hole in the view).

Another thing to keep in mind is to please yourself. Sure, we have all made bad choices and lived to dig them up, but it's all in the learning process, which is where the fun is! If a plant is failing, don't think about how much it cost -- if it's dying, don't let it be an irritant, start a "hospital" bed where you can give it extra care. Or toss it in the compost pile if you're so inclined.

One other thing I routinely do, because I try to avoid being irritated by them, is to pull weeds as soon as I see them. Just bend over and yank them out. Don't wait till Saturday, do it when you see it cause next time you see it, the thing may have even had babies! Someone gave me this advice once and I'm so thankful for it. I also share plants that multiply with friends/relatives who garden, cause I love it when they give me stuff, too.

And I try to buy nice small plants if possible, rather than larger ones, because the smaller ones have an easier time adapting to their new home. Plus, you can then see if they're happy in your yard and get more later if you want. I do admit, though, to occasionally buying larger ones if I have the $$, just cause I don't wanna wait. Sometimes this works, sometimes not. With gardening, time will tell.

Your neighborhood "furry friends" may affect your efforts if they haven't already, and this is another factor no one ever told me about. Squirrels, rabbits, deer ... they're cute, sure, but not when they've just chomped the whole lily you just planted! So sometimes we put out a lot of effort just to see it eaten up; or worse yet, chewed up and spit out!

As a final note, I've decided to avoid the use of chemicals as much as is within my power. Keeping things healthy with compost is a lot more persuasive than an arsenal of sprays and powders. Plus, in the back of my mind I just don't want to be responsible for poisoning our environment any more.

Just a few random thoughts from Aunt Peach in Elgin, IL