Interesting landscaping challenge - I would think you'd want to de-emphasize those very noticeable long steps to the right and somehow spotlight the actual main entrance. As I mentioned previously, maybe some low junipers or cotoneaster would sort of obscure the long steps while a pair of urns or something could flank the steps or walkway on the left. Or maybe the short sidewalk there could have a row of short boxwoods on both sides leading the eye more obviously to that side of the porch. I'm not sure what principles would govern the use (or not) of symmetry in this setting. As mentioned, it seems to me that symmetry around the main stairs would help to make them more prominent. Seen from the front, the porch section is also symmetrical and you could reflect that in the planting in that section, although you need a different strategy at each end to connect with the relevant stairway. Of course the mound has no equal over on the other side and needs to be handled as a one-of. So since the overall picture won't be symmetrical, maybe the overall shape of the front bed needn't be either, but (this being amateur to amateur) I've got no clue how it would be best shaped, or whether plantings away from the house would complement the whole. Trial and error will be a lot of fun here, I would think, and I would echo Saypoint's suggestion that cruising the nurseries and finding plants you like that will grow there is a necessary first step.

Ajuga and vinca prefer some shade. If you have blazing sun all day, try (Hedera)English, Persian, or Algerian Ivy (many varieties of leaf shape and color)for evergreen cover and roots that hold the soil, and plant daffodils underneath it for flowers. Other evergreen groundcovers could be Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)& Lady Banks Rose, creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia), spreading juniper, wintercreeper eunymous (in several leaf colors), cotoneaster, . If it doesn't have to be evergreen: Boston Ivy & Virginia creeper(Parthenocissus), gold flame honeysuckle, akebia, cross vine(Bignonia), and there are some carefree perennials for that environment: purple cone flowers (Echinacea), black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia) day lilies, yarrow, four-o-clock, goldenrod, and tall ornamental grasses. A rocky, sunny hillside would be a great place for Mediterranean herbs like rosemary, lavender, thyme, oregano, marjoram, chives, savory, sage, fennel, the artemesias,etc. They don't need good soil; just sun and good drainage, which your rocks and slope provide.

In the South, Semi-dwarf fruiting rootstock is more common especially locally. You can prune fruit to whatever size you like to keep canopy low and small but you also need to ensure then that you prune to a more open canopy as fruit cut low tends to make dense foliage (when then causes low fruiting due to shade). You are late for fruit planting now. Most nurseries have put their fruit stock into dormancy through cold storage. I like Johnsons, there is also Lawson's Applies, for bare root you can try Isons but I've been none too thrilled with them. Figs on a slope would work fine. You can probably find a fig that will do well at a local flea market or store. I do not recommend buying fruit from a "big box" store because it is not necessarily grown on root stock for the South and you don't always know if it's a good cultivar for your location. Johnson's has a good website, and I suggest searching for the Atlanta Fruits yahoo group and joining to ask questions. Loads of great advice there. Far more knowledgeable than I am! Also good to consider are pomegranates and pineapple guava. They don't get to giant.

Thanks. sorry long. Last long post. Hope you like talking about ground covers. This isn't sand by the way. I think pachysandra, vinca minor, and English ivy are by far cheaper and easier to get as plugs vs the ones suggested but I have to call around if that option is perused by the homeowner after we talk. I've seen unmaintained pachysandra in NJ under maples and it wasn't bad. Saplings can be cut/pulled when reach about a foot tall. But I read others say they get thousands of saplings and that preen or corn meal gluten pre-emergent would be needed, neither of which is an option for this house. They only want organic but don't want to spend on corn meal gluten every year which can get pricy. But anyway, in full sun like we're talking, I read pachysandra will grow poorly or die if the soil conditions etc aren't great and without watering or fertilizer and mulch (you can mulch it at first but it will turn to soil in a few years but then you can sprinkle more mulch or bagged mulched grass/leave mowings etc after to keep the moisture in and not need to water as often). the same full sun situation goes for English ivy but I read it might do a bit better in full sun than pachysandra. I don't know the USDA zones those people are in though who claim this, could be hotter there and more likely to do poorly. With poor growth in full sun, weeds can take over easier, and it won't recuperate as easy from winter stress especially with lots of full un-mulched leaves falling into it which will happen at this house. I read Vinca aka vinca minor, aka vinca bowels aka periwinkle does good in full sun (and dense shade), and it's cheap. But I read it spreads like crazy underground and don't want it to take over the existing shrubs in front of the house or the neighbors' lawns. It's an invasive problem in the woods and stuff in parts of the country becoming a mono crop type problem. Although here's a picture of it next to grass and I see none in the grass but maybe they are killing it selectively with a broadleaf-only killer. http://www.onlineplantguide.com/Plant-Details/2771/ Pachysandra also spreads underground but I don't think I've ever seen it take over or even show up in a bordering lawn where no herbicides were used. This thread seems really incorrect: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1917442/my-neighbor-planted-vinca-minor Basically someone was worried their neighbor's new vinca minor lawn would take over their perennials and shrub yard. I read vinca minor is a rhizome but Someone replied "Since vinca spreads by rooting along its stems, just pull up the plants that venture outside the bounds. It is far easier to deal with than aggressive groundcovers that spread by rhizomes or underground stolons like ivy, hypericum, gallium or lamiastrum". And they said just a stout river rock border would keep it contained, and that it doesn't self seed, which I'm not sure if it does or not. don't want thousands of these seeds blowing on the neighbors' laws and growing. I'm reading a lot of articles/people say you need roundup or lots of vinegar and digging etc to contain vinca. This homeowner doesn't want to use roundup or any chems but they are okay with vinegar. I wonder if they just need maybe a few $3 gallons of vinegar each year and a sprayer to contain about 300 feet of vinca minor edges. I read vinca is really tough though even against roundups. Home Guides has an article saying you can just use 3" landscaper plastic edging and it will stay contained. People on forums said it will grow up and over no mater how high the border is but said they just mow it back and it stays contained. Maybe just an electric weedwacker can be used to scalp the edges once a month by the homeowner. This person says they maintain the edges simply by mowing and it looks great. http://tallcloverfarm.com/1398/periwinkle-vinca-major-covers-a-lot-of-ground With grass, if someone doesn't want to water, I still suggest to water it at least a full year (with an inch all at once, once per week, rain included) because that will grow deep roots and make it less likely to get wiped out in a drought once they stop watering. But if it still dies it doesn't take much to slice seed grass again for decent results (won't look like they spent thousands on sod or did follow up slice seedings and aerations every couple years with just one slice seeding but it will be decent). I would give the same watering recommendation for groundcover, preferably more than a full year until the watering stops and also to water some in mid summer if hasn't rained. I think the homeowner's goal is equally: -to be environmental and not need water or fertilizer once established and not have mow or pay for mowing or need much maintenance, especially with machines/mowing - them just hand pulling/pruning once or twice a year is okay. -have a cool looking yard The back yard and side also they wanted groundcover, and adds like 5X more to the Sq footage, so I think either way they will have to mow because I doubt they'll splurge for doing the whole yard as groundcover (all but the front main area we've been discussing is shady though so pachysandra would do fine for the rest). Maybe I'll till the front this year, put 3" fresh free woodchips, plant vica and then next year or the one after, I'll till the back and sides and propagate the same vinca. they have a wooded area in the back so they have to make sure it doesn't take over the whole thing back there also. A good point: Meaning that in the back where there's woods, they should leave a good ten feet as lawn how it is now and prune it back there to not let it get into the wooded area "You mention that mowing seems to keep them controlled; I believe that to be true. It is when they are established next to, or in a woodland that they go crazy, choking out native plants of all sizes. I would humbly suggest that they should be used only in areas where their growth can be limited by mowing on all sides or contained by features such as pavement areas" http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/06/vinca-flower/ I think the only thing left I have to research is if it can get all weedy if not re-mulched every few years. It can I read but I have to see if there are certain situations that make this more prone to happening - I think a lot of these people might have just not used enough mulch to start while the vinca was establishing and ended up with dense patches or weeds. Weeds would be fine, just don't want the weeds to actually take over the vinca, like grow taller than it and look like 1.5 foot of weeds. so many people are like snobs against vinca. looks good to me http://www.lodi.watersavingplants.com/GardenWorks/Photos/396.jpg and is a win win for no watering or mowing or chems etc any input thanks again