Wow! talk about a man with a plan and tenacity to make it real! I love your construction. I'm assuming azaleas and caladiums mean you are looking for fairly low growing color in shade or part shade. That's my challenge too. If you are willing to start from seed and make annuals you might look at torena. Some begonias are easy to propagate from one hanging basket and would look great here and there. They might be hardy for you...I don't know. They are pretty tough. I have one variety in my greenhouse where other plants froze all around it and it is still covered with its fuzzy green leaves that have burgundy brown undersides. It bloomed all summer for me haning from the branches of a big old pecan tree. Persian Shield is one of my favorites, but it can get about 2 ft tall. I did mine up and haul it in for winter. Inevitably my greenhouse gets too cold and I am transplanting what looks like dormant roots in spring. They come back beautifully. Soooo, it may be happy to live in your landscape year round. I love the lollipop or shrimp plants. Again I have to haul them in and out...but they come out looking like sticks and come back to life. Again, they aren't really low growing but they may have relatives that are. pink polka dot plant is in the same category for me...might be hardy for you. I plant anemones and pansies and tulips in the fall where I had caladiums in summer. They need sun but I have sun until the trees leaf out. Don't forget amaryllis! They aren't just for Christmas anymore and they make a great show in spring while the soil warms for the caladiums. Certain daffodils and crocus return for me too. ranunculus are tubers and you can lift them when they are done blooming, allow them to dry and replant. Same with anemones. Some return on their own if unlike me you aren't always digging. I plant Sun coleus in part sun. It stays smaller an less color, but they root easily and one plant makes many if you're willing to take the time. I also plant pentas in several hours of sun. of course there is turk's cap, a returning staple for me is salvia black and blue and argentine skies. (I want to say that are gargantua...or something like that). Yes, you get more flowers in more sun but they are lovely with the tall red turks cap behind them and yellow lollipops in front. All this for a few hours of sun. what else...purple peppers are less purple in less sun but are surprisingly interesting with black to red ornamental peppers. Easy to save seeds or allow to reseed. Again a little sun goes a long way. rambling on as usual. If you've never seen Persian Shield search for it online. It loves the shade. will you promise you will keep posting pictures as your passion evolves???? Oh check out the Texas Garden forum if you haven't already.

Whatever you do do not cut off the green leaves! Those are busy building the bulb up for next year. They need to be allowed to die off naturally. When the flower is over either replant in a pot or put into the ground outside. There is no need to store them until Autumn, just plant them straight away.The blooms are not usually as full after forcing so I would go for planting in the ground rather than in a container and buy fresh new bulbs for your pot. All the hyacinths in my tiny garden started as indoor forced blooms.

I went through a period where tulips did not do well. I think they had a virus because when they came up in the spring the leaves were distorted and I got very few blooms. I dug them up and threw them away and waited a while before planting more. I got some as a gift, planted them and they've come back every year bloomed beautifully and actually have multiplied. I've bought tulips at the end of the season at WalMart for 75% off and they've come back. I always leave the leaves until I can easily pull the stems out of the ground. Maybe that's why mine do so well.

I believe so, it is staying quite warm in our area. That's what I will try for if the ground is workable but if not, any special ways to store the bulbs till the ground is workable in early spring? Thanks so much! ~michael