I think we have a similar growing situation in our yards, although you wrote that the driveway area never receives full sun in the spring? So, there's NEVER actual sunlight on the ground, or is it dappled sun/shade? My yard is mostly dappled sun/shade, and I have a spot that is shaded by the garage in spring, then gets much more sun in the summer months. (It gets noontime sun, but is then shaded by the house). Oh, and my soil is sandy, too. If you're actually getting some dappled sun in the dirveway, those cannas may do just fine there--they'll poke along in the spring, then take off in summer. Full-sun plants that do well for me in part shade include zinnias, feverfew, agastache, ditch lilies, obedient plant, silene armeria, phlox and foxglove. Peonies! Zebra grass or other ornamental grasses, Black-eyed susan. I don't know how well any of those do in your zone, though. My agastache is in the spot that receives little sun until summer, and then gets the hot noon sun, and it is a very happy plant! What about spring-flowering bulbs? They'd look great in the shady spring, and then could be shielded by some summer foliage from sun-loving plants. But, I know your zone is a factor with bulbs, too. If you really don't get any sun at all until mid-summer, I don't know what to suggest! With the sandy soil, I have found that fertilizer just washes through. I have amended it a lot, (I amended some of it with clay soil this year!) but I also fertilize more. Using an organic fertilizer will ensure you're not over-applying soluble nitrogen, or use a time-release fertilizer. I hope some of these ideas help!

Culinary Uses: Leaves are used as a vegetable or raw in salads. Flowers used to make wine, buds are pickled, or boiled and served with butter, or battered and fried. Roots are peeled, boiled and sauteed as a vegetable, or roasted and ground as a coffee substitute. Medicinal Uses: Leaves are a powerful diuretic and are also used for the treatment of acne and eczema. They are an excellent detoxifier and a tonic for the liver, gallbladder and kidneys. They treat urinary infections, prostate enlargement, rheumatism, gout, diabetes. Good for food allergy sufferers. White sap treats warts, corns. Dandelion root helps both the kidneys and the liver to improve elimination. Root reduces blood pressure and inflammation and is a liver stimulant. Frequently used in the treatment of diabetes, water retention, poor digestion and liver problems, including hepatitis. Dandelion Coffee Gather dandelion roots in autumn. Cut into rings about 2cm thick. Dry in the sun on trays during the day, but bring them indoors during the night. When completely dry, roast in a hot oven (200�C) for 20 minutes. Put through a coffee bean grinder or in a blender and store in an airtight jar. Use the same way as instant coffee. Dandelion leaves can become tough and bitter when old. To keep them sweeter for salads and teas, remove the older leaves, then cover the plants with a box to keep out the light for several days before using the fresh young leaves. Warning: May cause bed wetting in children from excessive handling. (One of its common names is 'Pis-en-lit/Wet-the-Bed.) Use with caution, and under medicinal supervision, if suffering from gallstones, stomach ulcer or gastritis. The milky latex in the stem and leaves of fresh dandelion may cause an allergic rash in some individuals. May cause heartburn or diarrhoea in some people.

Hello again all, yes thanks pm2 - I guess it is time for an update! After a late spring with much rain and cold in March, we are starting to dry out and get some sun and warmth. The daffodils are right on schedule, with the dogwoods maybe just a few days behind normal. The blooms are still a bit greenish but in a few days the hillsides will be glorious with white. The redbuds have been out for a week or so now, I just planted one in the front yard, even though we are surrounded by them in the woods, I just love them. There are bluebird eggs in the box on the top of the hill and today is in the 70s so all is right with the world! Because we've had such a long cold wet spring it's been hard to get into the gardens, especially with our clay. I dug out cannas I wanted to divide yesterday and they came up with clods of wet clay attached. Still a bit early to do serious digging. The front shade bed however was easier to dig because of all the compost I added last year so I did add some early color that it really needed. 'Chattahoochee' phlox and 'Woodside Gold' columbine went in to replace the anemones I lost last year to insects. The combination of tiny light pink flowers of pulmonaria, the baby blue of the brunnera, blue with a purple eye on the phlox, and pink and purple columbine make a lovely spring show. I had to watch where I dug however because some of the hostas are so slow to emerge and I risk digging into them. I have to remember to plant some bulbs around them so I don't forget where they are. As to the shrub changes, I moved the Itea to the woods garden after I realized it would take over and sucker in this small garden space. I replaced it with a Chamaecyparis Gold Mop which grows very slowly and will provide that gold foliage I'm looking for. The Sarcococca is kind of sitting there, it looks like it got a bit of tip burn, this area gets winter sun so it may not be happy with that. I never did get the flowers in January, unless I missed them. The Calycanthus is forming flower buds, I can't wait to see, and especially smell them. The clethra is still thinking about leafing out, it is alway late to do so. The spirea and the cornus are leafed out and came through fine, the loropetalum suffered some leaf dieback, but I just picked off the brown leaves and it is now leafing out to the tips. I may have lost the flowerbuds but I don't know yet, this is a new plant for me so it might just surprise me yet. I may have to move it if it gets too big which I'm finding out may be the case. I had to remove the large Foster's holly at the corner of the house as it was too close to the foundation and was beginning to heave and crack the brick so I lost some midday shade. I may move the loropetalum there and replace it with a shrub cutleaf japanese maple or maybe just some perennials. The Old Gold juniper is close by and will probably need the room eventually. I didn't know what to expect with the loropetalum as far as hardiness or size so I just plopped it in and am waiting to see. It's a great plant, the leaf color is terrific and if it blooms I'll get a great mass of bright pink. On the other side I had success with a large Kalmia Olympic Fire but a smaller one I planted next to it is not looking great. The Rainbow leucothoe is suffering as well, I did know they are fussy as to conditions so it may get the heave-ho. The pieris are doing fine as are the acuba. I lost all my azaleas to the Easter freeze last year, I had hoped they would bounce back but I'm going to have to dig them out and replace them. I did get rid of a large yew and replaced it with a Viburnum 'Conoy' which made it through the winter in fine shape and is forming flower buds now. It kept about half its foliage over the winter. It should eventually take the place of the yew and the strugging kalmia. I may add another one instead of replacing the three Glacier azaleas I lost and just replacing the Renee Michelle azaleas in front of it. By far my greatest joy has been the hellebores I added around the two Japanese maples. They have doubled in size and have been blooming since February. Last year they kept blooming into the summer and the foliage is evergreen. I can't say enough good things about them. As for the ferns, the lady ferns are up and the male ferns are thinking about it. I'll probably move the lady ferns to the woods garden, they are just so fragile and in late summer get a bit tattered, so not the best choice for a front garden. The male ferns were sturdy and held up well last year, but are a bit uninteresting. I'll probably replace them with Japanese painted ferns this year. I have quite a few in my back garden and they have done very well and provide that purple color I love. They are a bit more spready though where I could use some more height. I snapped a few photos yesterday of my fav plant combos in the shade bed. The dogwood is the crowning glory! Heuchera 'Amethyst Mist' and lysymachia Pulmonaria 'Mrs Moon' and 'Silver Indiana' heuchera Heuchera 'Frosted Violet' and Hellebore 'Royal Heritage' Heucherella 'Stoplight' and Asian ginger Pulmonaria 'Mrs Moon' and lysymachia Unfurling leaves of 'Minuteman' hosta Columbines Edging tapestry Phlox 'Chattahoochie' and Pulmonaria

The best edging flower I've used that can take full sun, all the heat of a TX summer, and very limited amounts of water is Blackfoot Daisy which is covered with pretty white petaled flowers. It mounds if put in the ground and trails if in a pot. Not much eats it and I've never had any disease problems with it. A sure way to kill it is to overwater it. It is perennial so cut it back to about 4-6" in early spring and it will take off again. I lost several in the ground this winter with all the moisture we had but the ones I had in pots that drained well are already blooming. You could also consider Dahlberg Daisy, a short growing little yellow daisy that is sometimes called bitter weed because cows that graze on it give milk that has a bad flavor. Dahlberg Daisy has fine fern like leaves. If you bruise the leaves it gives off a scent that some people find offensive. I like it because it tolerates heat and full sun and requires very little water. I've not found anything that eats it, either. It's an annual but it will reseed if the blooms are left on to dry. I've used both Blackfoot and Dahlberg Daisies as the "spillers" in pots and to fill in bare spots in my perennial garden. Good Luck!