native plants dont need watering and they dont need fertilizing or soil additions - they may need a few squirts of water to get started but after that they thrive on their own... some suggestions for shade: Jack in the pulpit, wild ginger, wild geranium, jacobs ladder, foamflower, ivory sedge... (golden alexanders and some of the asters are good low maintenance shady plants but the deer like those - so probably a waste of time to try those) ... the others are fairly deer resistant...maidenhair fern is nice too...

Try some Beacon Silver Lamium - it's great for lighting up dark areas and likes dark, dry shade.

I can't give any good suggestion for plants but I have found that a thick layer of pine straw (6-8 inches deep) works well on a slope. It doesn't wash away very easily if a really thick layer is applied. Be careful, though. It makes the slope pretty slippery.

Lamium!! Why didn't I think of that! I've got a bunch of it that could use dividing, too! One of the local produce stands also sells plants, about which they know diddley. They had a whole table last fall, labeled "Annuals 25¢ ". On that table was a huge pot of lamium.

I'll also try to find some of the other suggestions.

Thanks all!

Pat