If coreopsis is blooming under the tree, it isn't completely shaded. You might try a low growing evergreen shrub, such as one of the hollies, or even ornamental grasses such as Penesetum alopecurides "Hameln" or "Little Bunny." The grasses will die on top, but the dried tops look lovely all winter with their fuzzy flowerheads and tan foliage. They reshoot in the spring.

It is raining right now, but when it stops, I will take a pic so you can see what kind of cedar it is. It does not seem to have much sap at all, I do not know if it is because of its type or not. I have actually had large potted above ground hostas under this tree for several years. They do not even get winter protection, and they have survived with no loses. But I have always had not too special types there. If I make the bed, I want to put some nice ones there. Like I said, they would be in their own large pots in the ground, so I think it would be hard for the tree roots to disturb the hostas. Since it is a raised bed, I was also going to lay down that black garden cloth (forget the real name of it) for added protection from root intrusion. So between them being in pots and the cloth under the bed, I think it should be ok. I am just at a loss for shade now and have many homeless hostas. And my addiction will not allow me to stop buying so I am desparate to find more shaded places! LOL! I live on a lake, and where it is not bulk-headed, is nice shade with trees that go up to the water line. I would LOVE to put hostas all through there,it would look so natural and beautiful. However, the ground there is too rocky and hard to dig through because of the waterline. So I cannot even really dig down enough to put pots in the ground. I could just put them in pots above ground and have them like that, but when it comes winter, I do not know how they would handle being in pots above ground. However, I have many hostas in pots that stay above ground all year long, and come back every year. Out of all of these years, I think I have only lost 1 or 2 in pots above ground. SO it probably can work. I have lost so much shade over the years here. Not only to storms, but for some reason, when trees here get to a certain age, they start to rot from the middle out, I assume because they are taking in too much water from the lake. I learned this the hard way when a 75 foot pine fell out of nowhere! It missed the house by a foot! I also just recently had to cut a nice huge Oak for the same reason. It was actually leaning towards the house, and the middle was rotting. Lost 3 oaks that way. Well, enough rambling. I will take pics when it stops raining so you can see the cedar. Thanks!

Thanks! Most of the things in the front were there already, I just trimmed some back to allow others to take over more of the spotlight. The hostas have been subject to several harsh trims in order to let the iris and bleeding hearts show through. The shrubs in the background were also harshly pruned so they stay back in the background as I do not really like shrubs but the owner said I had to keep them. I did tear out several large shrubs and bushes though, making open spaces, it was all overgrown. I also added mulch, which made them pop more, I think. I went out today and trimmed the large bushes up above my head, I got sick of getting a face full of bush when mowing under them (the hydrangea and lilac). Unfortunately, they are all being eaten by a wood boring pest that my landlord refuses to acknowledge, so this will probably be their last year, then they will have to be taken out or at least severely cut back to the ground. Hopefully I have found a nicer, more rural apartment by then. :) I do feel like I have improved this one, though, so I am staying positive!

Very happy to find "Ace Hardware pine bark mulch", which are well-composted this Oct, and have plenty of pine-fines inside. I make my rooting-area in advance for next spring .. by that time the pine-mulch/pine-fines will be more decomposed & less acidic. The rooting powder that Bluegirl mentioned helped TREMENDOUSLY. Things take roots much faster. Do you make a slit at the side of the lower cane like Connie of Hartwood? Or do you slice a piece of outer-layer off like Kitty of California? I'm too lazy, so I do it California way, scrape a vertical piece off from the end, with my paring knife. For indoor & winter: I still don't like covering the plant with a plastic dome, it goes against my logic: cover anything up, and it will surely rot & get moldy !! My kid sprouted some mung-bean in a plastic cup, she covered it, and within a few days white mold grew on it, so gross !! This winter I plan NOT to cover with plastic, and simply squirt the soil lightly with a hand-mister. My neighbor kept a geranium through the entire winter. In freezing March I visited her: she kept the geranium on the window-sill (morning sun), and squirt it twice a day. And it was blooming tons !! I kept house-plants indoor in the winter and was foolish to water it, that was messy: water dripped on carpet, then whiteflies, then rotted stem (too wet). Hand-mist lightly is so much better, since leaves do take up water & nutrients .. same with stem I also put hydrogen peroxide inside my hand-mister to prevent rot. Bluegirl shared how Josh in TX put a paper towel on top of the rooting area to hold in moisture, great idea !! I'm convinced that hard-wood and thick cuttings NEEDS MUCH LESS MOISTURE. Versus the "greener & thinner" stems which dry out faster, thus need more moisture. The "alfalfa sprouts" type of root need constant moisture ... folks do keep alfalfa sprouts in a plastic pouch at grocery store. But the woody & chunky Dr.Huey-rootstock rots easily in poor-drainage clay. As own-root matures from "alfalfa sprouts" to hard and woody roots, they become more sensitive to standing-water and acidity.