Amending the soil just in the planting hole isn't recommended. In clay soils in particular, it creates a pot-like or bath-tub effect because when water perks into the amended soil it has no way to drain. Even if the soil isn't clay, the roots of a shrub are less likely to grow from the amended soil into the native soil. If I want to amend soil I usually do the entire bed. You can layer amendments on top of the soil and mix them in with the soil to make a somewhat raised bed which will drain more normally or at least allow a root run raised above the worst of the water. Or you can build a real raised bed large enough for shrubs. I couldn't think of any shrubs that fit all of your requirements, and when I plugged all your requirements into the Missouri Botanical Garden plant finder no plants came back. Either you will want to compromise on some of your wishes, or perhaps you can combine shrubs and perennials to get evergreen and red flowers, just not all on the same plant. There are some short forms of white cedar, Thuja occidentalis, which is evergreen and is fine in wet to average moisture, but has no flowers. Some have gold or bluish foliage. Some flowering plants that are happy in damp soil to standing water that have blooms in the pink range (not really red-fushia) include Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice' or a pink form of Rhododendron viscosum, swamp azalea. The azalea blooms in spring and has nice fall color, and the Clethra blooms in late summer or fall and has clear gold fall color. Neither have a particularly long bloom period or are evergreen. Both will probably need pruning to keep in bounds. You may find some smaller pink forms of the Clethra. Ilex verticillata, winterberry holly, is deciduous but has red berries all fall into early winter and like the Thuja grows naturally in swamps. Rosa palustris, swamp rose, has pink flowers. Red-twigged dogwoods are deciduous, but will have red branches all winter. Younger twigs have brighter bark, so you can prune some branches to the ground every year to keep it smaller and redder. Some forms have gold bark or leaves that are variegated with white or gold. Cardinal flower, Lobelia cardinalis is red-flowered and likes wetlands. It flowers in late summer. Louisiana iris thrives in wet conditions, and has several forms with various reddish tones, though no really true reds. Both these are perennials.

The glaciers brought me all kinds of interesting soils, and it changes VERY abruptly. I guess some of it could have been due to farming in the 19th and early 20th century, but my yard was never graded or leveled or anything like that. I have sandy/gravelly soil, sandy loam, true loam soil, heavy dense clay. The only major soil type I lack is an organically based muck type soil. There are places in my yard where I can stand with one foot on heavy clay and the other on sandy loam. I think this is the work of the glaciers, I don't think it was human intervention. Yes, I like the idea of Mountain Laurel as well. I saw some very attractive ones in bloom about 2 weeks ago at a local nursery. They are not common here because our soils do run in the neutral range, and aren't acidic enough without intervention. Oakleaf Hydrangea also --something like 'Snow Queen' would be nice. Blueberries -- well, I already have 22 of those in another area, so probably not there, but yes, I think they are a fine ornamental, mine generally have excellent fall color, burgundy to red with just a little yellow and orange highlight. Possibly some azaleas of some type, I have a pink deciduous one in another area that is nice. Thank you so much for the suggestions.

Leftwood, Thanks for explaining the low oxygen level in soil. And thanks for narrowing my Virbunum search - now I know what to avoid. Added /willows & alders to my list. I just finished researching a variety of different weigelas, and some need well drained soil, others are not fussy. Usually at the end of the nursery season when plants are 50% off, we find plants worth buying, that we wouldn't-dare-pay-that-much-for in the beginning of the season, and weigelas are always among them - so might try planting one late summer-early fall. Maplerbirsh, If I need a huge hole like you described, I will definitely enlist DH's help! Marcia, I'm on the east Frontage Road, due west of Sturtevant, directly across the "I" from Sylvania Airport. I also have a couple of Highbush Cranberry shrubs, but they grow in partial shade in the open woods area. Thanks for the offer though! I know what you mean about the Honeysuckle, although I don't mind them, because they're mixed in with all the other native understory around here, and so far are not invasive. The burdock is what's horribly invasive. Anyway, thanks everyone for your helpful responses! Julie

I only skimmed through the responses. Someone is right. Your organic material will burn up really fast in Texas sun. of course, you need to continue to add organic material - especially compost. What you may have done is tilled a pit in the ground. If the soil surrounding the beds is severely compacted, the moisture is accumulating in your new beds (holes) and has no where else to go. BUT, this is only the beginning. Don't despair. Adding more organic material will soften the surrounding soil - over time. Best thing to do is keep roots in it - always. Okra and sunflowers are heat lovers with massive strong roots that burrow into that heavy clay beneath. As the roots die off, they create air pockets. The air pockets give way to more life forms, big small and tiny. From there, they work the soil at that sub level. Bugs are your friends - even grub worms when they're not a threat to your plants. Feed them with finished compost, unfinished compost (if you're not planting) and water. And never let that soil go uncovered. use mulch if nothing is planted. It holds in moisture while protecting it from the sun. The mulch protects the bugs, worms and the microbes (soil food web) that continue to work and loosen the soil in natural ways. Don't till any more, either. You've done all you can do. Tilling will only disrupt the soil food web from here on out. Of course, weed by hand. Over time the soil will soften more because of the Soil Food Web and even bermuda grass can be pulled by hand in its entirety. You just need time. Or, the soil food web does.