What can I grow in rocky, clay type dirt?

I have a big patch of yard that is in the shade and also has a lot of rocky clay type soil. I have been out raking and getting up a huge chunk of the rocks and now there are a lot of really small pebbles too I'm not sure what to plant there but know that I don't want it to look as bad as it does. Does anyone have any suggestions and how much rock do I need to remove like I said it's a bunch of smaller pebbles.