Nice find, JoJo! You may want to do a little research on the plant, itself... I'm no expert on this plant, but if memory serves, there's a warning attached having to do with pet and human toxicity. Isn't it's common name "Dumb Cane"? Further exploration indicates that the sap of this plant is a mild irritant to skin, and can cause rather unpleasant conditions to occur in pets and children who chew or ingest any part of it. I've attached a link with more information for you. Just so you are aware... I know you have pets and children, some of your pets being rather sensitive to things like this... as in birds. Just take care with it, JoJo. It is a nice looking plant, though... and who can resist a pot like that?! :-) Here is a link that might be useful: Dieffenbachia - toxicity

...potting up some Nassella tenuissima, grown from seed. It's a great grass. It doesn't have to be in full sun. It can get by with light shade as well. It's best in a spot that gets some breeze, because it has such a hypnotizing movement.

Besides what you list, clematis - Bees Jubilee, Niobe, Vyvyan Pennell, Willy (that one is new though), Rose Blanc Double de Coubert opened today, tomorrow should be Zephirine Drouhin, spirea japonica, a euphorbia, rock rose, azaleas, a sorry camellia, Lonicera sempervirens, centaura montana, foam flower, ravenswing - cow parsley, hawkweed - leapord plant, pyracantha, kerria, sedum, ajuga, woodruff, nectaroscordum, waterperry (veronica),a few annuals,a few viburnums - V. tribolum and V. sargentii Onondaga, Rainbow Leucothoe, hellebores, bleeding heart - dicentra spectabilis, iberis, broome, baptista, solomon's seal, those pink creeping strawberry plants, regular strawberry plants, cornus though not showy,a blue perennial salvia I started from seed is just opening, I'm not sure which one, not S. nemorosa though one of those is getting close too, maybe viola freckles is still blooming, one red astilbe is starting, the rest not yet. Other things have finished, others are getting ready to begin.

Research suggests that shrubs adjust best if not planted in amended soil, that they should be just in native soil since then there aren't issues with texture changes causing problems with water movement in the soil. You can top dress or amend the entire planting bed if it seems needed, but just amending the planting hole isn't ideal. So I wouldn't worry about what the lady at the nursery said. Here are directions for planting trees, but the same things apply to shrubs.