I think you'll need to get in to see how light hits the area before you can really set up a plan -- although it is nice to think about!

Do you know if there is an irrigation system in place?

I have a sloped (actually, tiered with retaining walls) area out back, and since it would be difficult to irrigate, I have decided to "go native" with plants naturally adapted to our conditions. Over the course of living in the house over the past almost-year, I have discovered that the slope gets more sun than I orignally thought.

Thanks, you're right -- I'll need to live with the space awhile before I know what's going on. I know that there is an irrigation system on site, but I suppose it's possible that it doesn't reach plants on the upper part of the slope. Right now, the shaded area seems to be mostly covered with bark.

I would like to start researching plants now, so I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks!

Do check out the irrigation system -- it would make more sense to irrigate the top of the slope and leave the bottom to live on runoff. I do that with several of my beds on our very sloped property (not only front to back, but side to side!) and it works quite well. I watered in everything once a week for the first few months, and after that let the lower beds survive on their own. They have thrived, even through the recent 2-week heat wave.

I did improve the soil in most beds,and I have found that the beds I did NOT do this, the plants have not done as well. The clay has been exhaused by trees, weeds and unwanted shrubs for decades, and is no longer good quality soil unless very heavily amended. Replacement was actually easier than amending, BTW. I mulch heavily.

I water (mostly soaker hoses, some hand watering) once every 2-3 weeks. If it's extremely, viciously hot, then once a week.

Most of my beds are partial shade beds and it is surprising how much will grow in CA under these conditions. Our light is so bright that even under trees (or at least at the edges of the canopy) one can grow all kinds of things. And you're in a warmer zone than I am; I have had some trouble with winter chill damaging some frost-tender plants.

I'm way north of you in the SF Bay Area, but in our sloped and rather shady backyard (a huge walnut and an enthusiastic silver maple that threatens to engulf fully half our large backyard), we still get enough bright shade overall to grow a surprising number of plants that are supposedly full sun. These include:
-erysimum
-canna
-oleander
-helichrysum
-senecio
-lantana
-Meyer lemon
-variegated euonymus
-pelargoniums
-shrub roses, rugosas, and miniature roses
-New Zealand flax (phormium)

I even got snapdragons to flower and return in one of the shadiest spots right at the foot of the silver maple. Although it probably helped to have a soaker hose in the bed -- the maple sucks up so much water that even weeds won't grow next to it. And of course, star jasmine grows like a weed, but it needs so much room I'm thinking of taking both of mine out. They are really uncontrollable!

I'm not big on natives. They're nice, but spend half the year dormant or ratty. I want flowers, interesting foliage, and variety - all year round, even in January. OK, I'm a cottage gardener, I admit, LOL. Anyway, here's some pix of our backyard, and also the narrow north-facing sideyard, which is divided into two parts: the top half irrigated with soaker, the bottom lives on runoff.

Looking upwards towards the house from the very bottom of our lot, from the backyard. Walnut to the right, silver maple dead ahead. Date: May 2006 for these pix
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Looking sideways at the bed around the walnut, towards my neighbor's yard
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Looking at the bottom of that bed, with the fence marking our lot boundary on your RH side. This side gets east-facing sun for about three hours before the walnut shades it all.
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Now the north-facing side yard:
Top (Front) of the bed looking downwards - this is irrigated with soaker hose. The 'Emperor One' Japanese maple is a new variety and vastly superior to the old 'Bloodgood'. It grows in sun or shade; even windy conditions don't bother it.
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The bottom of the top bed, looking upwards (reverse of the photo above)
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The lower bed that lives on runoff. Contains star jasmine growing up a pillar, variegated aucuba, hellebores, bearded iris, liriope, and ferns.
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Thank you, jkom, for your great reply and pictures!! They give me hope, though I must say that the shade conditions I've seen in the afternoon at the new house are much shadier/deeper than the shade shown in your pictures. Your yard looks much brighter than the areas towards the top of the slope that I've seen at the new house. Guess I'll just try to get in a few plants and see how they do; I'm just afraid that some plants I really like (the japanese anemones, cape rush, etc) won't like it there.

Anyway, thanks again for the pictures - you have a lovely garden growing there! (and what is that pretty blue orb I spy hanging in the background of your pictures showing the side yard/walnut area?)