If the soil doesn't go very deep, what's under it - construction rubble, solid masonry, foam insulation, or poor quality soil?

Where are you? Waht grows in FL isn't what will grow in OK or VT. You can add this to your profile so it posts automatically next to your name so we don't have to ask:

Go to Your Houzz in the upper right of every page, click Edit Profile, and on the left side click advanced settings. Well down the advanced settings page is a blank labeled Climate Zone for Garden Forums along with a link to find your zone.

If you add info on your state or the nearest large city you will get even better information since zone only relates to average coldest winter temperatures.

Then return to the top of the page and click Done Editing.

Thanks, Im in 6A (i've made the change on my profile). Also I think underneath it might just be a ton of rocks (although water doesn't "pool" there or anything) thankfully.

start digging.. and find out ... then we can discuss with facts ...

ken

Um, I think I would be looking in the opposite direction and growing plants which had deep probing roots, well able to seek water and nutrients even in a rubble/rock subsoil. Alpines are most famously known for this but also require full sun but there are, nonetheless, plants which have rooty storage systems (tubers, corms, rhizomes, which will laugh at the shallow depth of soil and thrive in shade. Of more importance, I think, is the type of soil, the aspect of the beds, and, of course, the temperature zones. Shallow roots need not be the impediment you might imagine as long as drainage is possible. I can fully attest to this since my neighbours and I have gardened on basically builders rubble, rubbish shallow topsoil and very little space, for the 30 or so years I have lived in my current house. Most obviously, the clue being in the name - saxifrage...or rather 'rock breaker' come in many variations - from the dainty mossy saxifrages to the almost indestructible urbiums and fortuneiis. Happy in shade and perfect companions to the daintier ferns. dodecatheons, haberleas, ramondas and cyclamens.

I did some digging and I was able to get down about a good foot i'd say. the Rest was so rocky it'd be a lot of effort to keep going.

Plants I was wanting/considering were Hostas/Lungworts (love these and they are pretty small) and maybe some ferns.

I also considered astilbe but they kinda look messy when they aren't flowering.

Sweet Woodruff would be a low growing ground cover. You said your space is only 1 ft. wide, so maybe something low and simple in between other plants or all by itself. It'd also be easy to plant without digging deep.

That was something I considered, I originally had some sedum there which was dumb on my part since they like Sun!

depends if you insist on sedum blooming.. many are not used for their bloom ... e.g. hens and chicks ....

smaller hosta would do fine in 12 inches of soil ... i swear i told you that before.. but i dont see it above.. is this a second post on the same topic???

ken

I have just under 30 hosta varieties in my shady front garden. Some are giant, some are medium-sized, others are a mixed bag size-wise. Don't be surprised if those you plant don't live up to or exceed your expectations. Mine have super-sized themselves over the years and far exceeded their advertised/labeled mature growth sizes (no--I didn't anticipate or allow them space to accommodate the sizes to which they've grown!). Plants normally don't reach their full potential a year or two after they're planted. You won't really know how they'll grow until they've been in the ground for a while.

Mine is a garden just under an acre in size. It's taken me over a decade to plant it. The plants give me a jolt every season for one reason or another but generally I'm happy with the way it looks.

Other shade lovers you might want to consider are Solomon's seal, Heuchera/coral bells, Aquilegia/columbine, Alchemilla mollis/lady's mantle, Brunnera/siberian bugloss, Dicentra spectabilis/bleeding heart. In my garden, they're all as maintenance-free as hosta.

Wow those are some great suggestions! thanks.

I was mainly concerned about the space but I guess they can spread out their roots sideways if it's not wide enough ahah.