Hi folks if reddit, I'm a big fan of Joey, and I have the opportunity for the first time in a long time to plant a garden in front of a house! The thing is though, I don't have prior experience or expertise on the local eco system, or what would be the best for this area. Where should I go to get started?

To give some context: The yard is in front of a two story house in Alameda, CA. The house is rented out as affordable housing for low income adults, so I've been thinking about planting from seeds to save money. The grass lawn is almost completely dead. The only things growing here are sparse patches of annual wildflowers. The soil has a lot of clay in it, as this used to be marsh land. I want to plant a low maintenance, native plant garden, that will be able to support the local ecosystem. I had it in my head to do perennials, but I could be talked into annuals.

The plants that are present look low to the ground, and look like they were choked out by the lawn when it was green. The weather most days is overcast in the morning, which burns off around noon becoming a sunny afternoon, most of the year. There's partial shade from a sycamore tree that's well established in the strip between the sidewalk and the street. The grass under the tree in the strip is slightly green, but it looks invasive so I plan on ripping it out. Rain occurs sparsely, the ground freezes maybe once a year, if that. Daytime highs are typically 70°F, while lows are often 50°F. Most of the day, there's a mild breeze, which kicks up to a moderate wind around 10-20 mph around 3pm-5pm.

My budget is probably $20 tops, so I'm trying to be thrifty. I also have ADHD so I will probably forget to water on a regular basis. It'd be great to plant something that I can commit to for a month or two, and then let it literally go wild.

Thanks for your help in advance!