You know, that's a really compact clump of yucca- instead of fighting it, why not use it along with the cedar and other shrub as winter backbone? They do have nice fragrant white blooms in summer. If it were spread out or a huge clump, i'd fuss with it, but if you're wanting to make life simple... leave it be. I'd say it depends on the compost whether you till it in. If it seems like it has a good bit of earthy stuff for the plants to dig into, then no, but if it's more top dressing stuff, perhaps till in half and top with compost. The quality can vary year to year and by the time of year, depending on what they are shredding and composting. If you're in wake co, you will need to find a truck/hauler to haul it for you, but the compost itself is fairly cheap- like 30 a big truckload full. City runs 2 for 1 specials sometimes, too. Meaning pay for 1 load, get the second free that same day- but you'd still need to pay for hauling. You could do a lasagna type bed- layer on newspaper, ect, and build up with out messing with tilling at all. There's been a good bit posted about it, and there are at least 2 books. It really does work if you have a little patience/time. There is a thread for the swap on the exchanges forum. It should have the where what when info- tho i can tell you quickly it's may 8th, at white deer park in garner. Doesn't matter if you're a newb. We always have some. Just bring some good food and anything you have to spare that you think gardeners could use- pots, hoses, rocks, etc. Even shallow boxes would be appreciated as folks always need them to haul away their new found goodies.

Pieris are definately not going to be happy in full afternoon sun, especially in zone 7. They like shade in the hottest part of the day. I'm not familiar with Nandina or the type of Abelia you have, but perhaps talking to some good local nurseries would give you a better idea of suitable shrubs. Your site is not particularly difficult; it just requires the right plants.

If we read the original post, you'll see that rashomon is not allowed to put up anything that will provide shade on the FIRE ESCAPE (this is not a patio or porch). Double potting is truly the best bet. You could even use something like vermiculite or bubble wrap as an insulator between the two pots. If you water thoroughly in the evening or early morning, your plants will have the time to take as much water as possible into their little plant bodies before the heat of the day commences. If the containers are relatively small, you may need to water twice a day. Watering is a beneficial practice for plants...not only does it provide the required H2O, but flushes the soil with a new supply of fresh oxygen. I respectfully disagree that you should keep a full water tray under your plants at all times. If you do anything to create a water-logged situation, then roots begin to die right away. Then your plant is really in trouble. Plant trays should be emptied a short time after they fill up following a good drenching. Hopefully, you are using a soil-less potting mix (peat based) and is porous and well-drained. Avoid adding sand, clay, compost, or anything like that to a container as those ingredients clog up the small pores in the soil system that ought to be filled with water and air.

You really have two separate issues, the grub problem and what to grow as a groundcover. Is this in place of the lawn for the whole yard? If so, grass is probably easiest as far as maintenance if you deal with the grub issue. Milky spore disease or nematodes are two nontoxic ways to deal with grubs, and if you are in the warmer end of New England Milky spore will involve one application that takes a couple of years to build up to good effectiveness. I imagine that the grubs will cause problems for other plants than grass, though I am not sure that would be the case for all plants. I always work better from a photo or at least a description of the area: size, growing zone, how much work you are willing to do, aesthetic preferences. Do you want the look of all the same or do you want a variety so that it looks more like a garden? Are you willing to put in some type of barrier and do the work needed to keep the ground cover from migrating from your yard to the neighbors' if you share boundaries? (In the case of aggressive running groundcovers, good barriers make for more friendly neighbor relations.) Are you open to shrubby groundcovers? What kind of ordinances does your city have about lawns? What is the drainage like (are you on a slope, does water pond in the area you are considering, have you done a percolation test?) Does it have to be evergreen or is a plant that dies to the ground in winter OK, especially if you renew the mulch after freeze to keep it tidy looking? Some general comments and suggestions: Getting rid of the grass and controlling weeds for the time until your groundcover gets established will be a lot of work. For many groundcovers, mulch will be your friend. Improving the soil with a combination of coarse and finer organic matter may open up more plant choices, depending on how much clay is in your soil and what the slope is like. My first thought was also periwinkle/myrtle/Vinca. The house I grew up in had Pachysandra growing in clay in sun until shortly after noon, but had bright shade from the house in the hottest part of the day, so I am not sure how this will do. Evergreen Bugleweed/Ajuga reptans will grow in full sun, and isn't fussy about soil. Evergreen, flowers, colored foliage. Bishop's weed/goutweed/Aegopodium podagraria has a variegated form that is a good groundcover that is tolerant of many growing conditions. My inlaws have it growing on a dry sunny slope, but I have also seen it in half day sun on clay and in full shade. If drainage is good, some sedums, thymes, creeping cottoneaster (woody), creeping Juniper (woody, evergreen), or one of the lower growing Nepeta/catmints might work. Cranberry doesn't need a bog to grow, just averge moisture, so if your soil is acid it might work with mulch. Evergreen Mazus reptans might work. Bearberry/Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Massachusetts' (woody, evergreen) Cutleaf Stephanandra/Stephanandra incisa ‘Crispa’ woody, fall color In a smaller area, perennial candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) may work. Evergreen. If a taller groundcover is OK, and you don't mind a area that is bare of plants in winter, it's hard to beat old-fashioned orange daylilies. The photo is of a daylily bed just starting to sprout in the spring. The mulch is renewed after die-back in the winter and helps control weeds and erosion and keeps things looking tidy when there's no snow.