Question
I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida.  What ground cover would you suggest for a very shaded area with both an Oak and Magnolia tree. It is a large area and because of the root structure of the oak the ground is very difficult to dig in.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer
You are in USDA zone 9, with lots of options.  Here are a few groundcovers that will grow in heavy shade and a poor spoil condition in your area:

Ajuga (lots of varieties)
Ferns (again, lots of varieties)
Euonymus
Ivy (l.o.v.)
Hostas
Liriope (etc.)
Ophiopogon (cousin to the Liriope)
Pachysandra
Vinca

For more on the MANY varieties available, try classygroundcovers.com  I would use this website for research, but buy the plants locally, as you get a gaurantee from the local nursery that you're not going to get from most websites.  You also get to gauge the health of the plants before you buy.  

As you are in Florida, it has strict regulations about importing some plants into the State that the local nursery hs already complied with.

Regards, Marc