Hostas and ferns will be okay on the north side against the foundation. I have Azaleas planted against my foundation on the north side, and Hostas actually in my Southern exposure, which has mature trees to the East, South, and West of me, so not a lot of direct sunlight, some filtered, and some pretty dark shade. Another good shrub that gets large, but you can get smaller versions if you want, is Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). I recommend it to everyone in Oklahoma because it does so well here compared to other Hydrangeas. The leaves are very large, oakleaf shape as name indicates, huge conical white blooms in mid to late spring, that gently turn to a pink shade. The foliage turns red in the fall, and the winter branches are interesting, too, because they peel to a rusty red shade. It is pretty much an all around outstanding plant for Oklahoma. Doesn't require as much water as the other Hydrangeas either, once it is established. I planted it the first summer I lived in my house in 1999, and I have never regreted it. Some say it is slow to establish, but mine grew very quickly. Maybe because I purchased it in a 5-gallon container so it was pretty good size to begin with. It can grow to about 7' tall by 9' wide in fabulous conditions, but will generally run about 7' side and 5' tall. You can place some medium size hostas in front of it, perhaps variegated to add some interest, and small hostas and ferns in front of them. Japanese Painted fern is very pretty. I grow a few Hostas, 'Sum and Substance' which is a monster and has lime green foliage with leaves up to 18-24" long. It can take more light than the Blue Hostas and variegated hostas. Anything with the bolder lime green colors can generally tolerate more light. I also have 'Blue Angel' which is also a monster with powdery blue foliage. The leaves aren't as big as S&S but the plant itself gets huge. Give this one a pretty shady place as with all blues. There are hundreds and hundreds of Hostas available. Check out Plant Delight Nursery which has a nice selection, just to give yourself an idea of different textures, sizes, and colors. I don't really grow ferns except for the Holly fern which has done so well for me for about 10 years also. Doesn't need as much water. Hellebores, Epimediums, variegated Solomon's Seal, Jack in the Pulpits, Campanulas, Meadow Rues, Heucheras, Tiarellas, Toad Lilies, some Clematis, some lilies, will all do well in part shade. The only problem with shade around a lot of homes is tree roots. Hard to dig and prepare soil - amend, amend, amend with compost, chicken or cow manure, etc. But, the roots will eventually grow back. The plants I've mentioned will likely co-exist just fine with some tree roots. Your Elephant Ears will take some sun very nicely. More than a lot of folks think. They are Colocasias in the Aroid family. A better bet is Alocasias which look very similar but have a more upright habit, sold in many of the nurseries as Upright Elephant Ear. The foliage is a bit shinier, and they get every bit as big without needing as much water. Generally speaking, in a southern exposure you will get more sun, in the West you will get a good amount of sun along with heat. The north and east sides offer more protection from our relentless summer suns. However, that can change with things such as how large your trees are, how much shade they cast, the closer you plant to your house will afford more shade. Dawn suggests that you have your soil tested to see how much you need and what your soil needs, Consider mulching your plants, too. Fertilizers? I'm a lazy gardener so I use Espoma fertilizer products which you can just add at planting time or sprinkle on top in the spring. Some needs to be added monthly and some will last 2 or 3 months. If you want to add some butterfly and hummingbird attracting plants, let me know, What fun! You have pretty much a blank slate to work with. And.....welcome to the forum! Susan Here is a link that might be useful: Oakleaf Hydrangea

Gdpossehl, I am using miracle grow for fertilizer for the pots that I reuse some soil. Some of the pots I filled with new soil that contains slow release fertilizer, so haven't fertilized that yet. I don't think the issue is fertilizer and I don't think the issue is water, I think it's an issue with the sun or light. The reason I think that is that in years past I could move an underperforming pot to a different location, more sun for a sun loving plant or more shade for a shade loving plant and the pot did fine, which suggests to me that it's not a fertilizer issue. But if you have a fertilizer you like, I'd love the suggestion. It would be wonderful it that was the issue, that I wasn't fertilizing correctly. So, if anyone else reads this who has a similar issue and wants to know what's working here so far, here's what's happening in this spot in mid-June: Japanese forest grass got a little burnt looking at the tips, so moved it to a shadier spot and it looks much happier. Flamethrower Chipotle coleus is in two of the pots, one a little sunnier than the other. It's happy in the sunnier one, just okay in the shadier one. Star of the sunnier one, just an accent in the shadier one. Blue daze evolvus looks nice. It's not as lovely as the pots I've seen other places in sunnier locations but it blooms enough for me here. Wire vine/wire grass looks great but is in one of the bit shadier pots. Caladium is one of the ones listed as more tolerant for sun and it is beautiful, just beautiful. I love it so much. It's in one of the shadier pots, gets some blasts of brutal sun but a little more shade than the flamethrower coleus/angelonia/evolvus pots. Angelonia is blooming and looks pretty but not nearly as beautiful as an angelonia blooming in more sun. It's okay because I just needed a splash of purply pink, but it curls and doesn't stand up like the angelonia I see in more sunny areas. Bounce impatiens look beautiful, just beautiful. Like the caladium, I love them so much. Also like the caladium, it's in one of the pots that gets a touch more shade. Burgandy wedding train coleus is lovely, as it has been every single place I ever put it in my yard. The real test is how it looks in August. We'll see. Thanks to everyone who responded.

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice! Unfortunately, this is not the answer I wanted but am glad to have such great input before spending even more money to put something new there that will also not thrive. The good news is everything else (so far) that has been planted in our landscaping surrounding our home has survived and is thriving that I can tell. Although I am interested in learning more about gardening, at this time I feel all this work is more than I bargained for and it won't be happening for a while as it sounds very time consuming. I appreciate the time everyone took to explain the proper procedure that things should be done in the future! Maybe someday i'll get my peonies. :)

Cynthia - thank you, I will do that with Eglantyne, I will also put her in a pot and overwinter in the garage if she’s not reliably hardy. Our NH winters are very cold. Thank you for all of that information! It’s looking like I might end up keeping quite a few of these in pots with the exception of Wildeve and Scepter’d Isle. The order came today - Scepter’d Isle is an own root and she is large! I think I’ll put her in the pink bed right in the ground. The rest I’ll pot up and play with locations. I am truly grateful for your insight! I hope that you are well and your garden is waking up slowly but surely, as mine is. Straw - so glad you chimed in! Sharifa Asma came as a grafted bare root and is a decent size. I’ll keep her in a pot in full sun. As for Eglantyne, I’ll put her in full sun and pamper her, as we do, and hope for the best. Scepter’d Isle came as an own root from DA and you’re not wrong about the size! She’s huge - she’ll have a center spot in this bed and will fit in nicely. Thank you so much for your feedback! With gratitude and love, Shaylyn