What to do in bare soil areas.
Chances are, your lawn covers a pretty large part of your property. However, in many landscapes there are some spots where, for one reason or another, grass will not grow. (Most often there is too much shade.) One of the easiest ways to manage a bare soil area around trees is to plant some sort of ground cover. In our area, English Ivy, Asiatic Jasmine, or Hosta, for example, will grow in the heavily shaded areas with little care.
In areas other than around trees, there is a newer variety of St. Augustinegrass that has shown to be drought and shade tolerant which is the Amerishade St. Augustinegrass.
How to plant shrubs properly.
Be sure to dig a hole large enough to accommodate the plant's roots. Always break up the root ball so that water and nutrients can reach the root system. Plant so the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil. Fill around the roots with the soil that was extracted from the hole. Press the soil gently, but firmly, around the root ball, but do not over pack the soil to constrict the roots.
Note: If the plant is placed into the hole as it is removed from the container, the plant will not grow properly because the nutrients and water cannot reach the roots.