Awesome !!!! I bought 7 mock oranges by the arbor day foundation :)

Thanks :)

If you like yellows, you might want to look at Texas Gold Columbine. They are so hardy, and are evergreen. Mine have grown fast as well, and have not required supplemental watering.

http://www.star-telegram.com/living/home-garden/neil-sperry/article19324275.html

I have a popcorn drift rose in my yard as well, and have been very happy with it.

I have a Natchez that gets quite a bit of water (also planted in clay...it's actually pretty bad soil that it is planted in.) It has done fine in those conditions. I have a couple other crape myrtles that are also in very water-y parts of the yard...we have a "river" that runs through one section of our yard every time we get a hard rain, and those CMs have been flooded several times and it hasn't phased them. They get a LOT of sun though. My only CMs that have done poorly, and developed bark scale, were in part-sun parts of the yard. As long as they get full sun, like at least 8 hours and preferably afternoon, the water may not bother them...just my experience!

To amend a clay soil, you want to incorporate organic matter, typically compost (or composted manures). But you need to do so over a large area, like an entire planting bed, not just individual planting holes. OM will help to lighten a heavy, poorly draining soil. Stay away from sand - you need huge quantities to offset clay (about a 1-1 ratio by volume) and using less will result in a virtually impervious substance similar to cement or adobe.

"We also have several diseased ones that were cut to the ground and we are starting to treat them with epsom salt."

I'd have to ask what you hope to accomplish with this. Epsom salts is not a disease control or a magic plant tonic - it is only useful to supplement magnesium if that is deficient in your soil. Diseased redtips (Photinia) are plagued by a fungal issue that starts as a pretty innocuous leaf spot but once it takes hold, will result in almost complete defoliation and even plant death. You can effect some moderate control by routine spraying with a registered fungicide, but once infected the plant will always be prone to the problem and removal is usually the recommended course of action. We have the same problem here with these plants as does much of the southeast. Unless you have the time, attention and dedication to monitor these closely and spray often, you are better off replacing with something less problematic.

I got Mock Orange from the Arbor Day Foundation too! They were beautiful in my amended clay soil with morning sun.

I'll second gardengal48: (1) copious amounts of organic matter is the key to transforming hard clay into workable garden soil and (2) avoid sand. Also, from personal experience, don't waste your money on gypsum. Since I moved away from Blackland Prairie, expanded shale has become a popular amendment, so it might be worth looking into.

Does you future garden plot have sun, shade or both?

Re your golden retriever: Most dogs have enough sense (instinct) not to chew on plants that could harm them. We've been involved in dog rescue for years, and none of our dogs — permanent or foster — has ever shown any interest in the various nightshades we grow. When a dog's sensitive nose catches a whiff of the toxic alkaloids in the leaves of cestrum, datura or nicotiana, the disdain is obvious in the wrinkled muzzle.

Natchez isa great choice to start with and give your garden some structure and "bones" to build on. We grew this successfully in East Texas red clay (z8a) and now with a little more trouble its doing well in South Texas caliche.(z9a) Not many others can look as good in Texas as Crape myrtles flowering through the heat of the summer. We also grow a lot of the intensely colored dwarf crape myrtles pruned .bonsai style so that they kinda look like azaleas flowering during the summer. We keep rearranging crinums,, agapanthus, tuberoses,etc. to improve on the design. Happy gardening.

My advice is to be honest in what you have for daylight and the type of drainage when looking at plant requirements. My biggest mistakes when starting was not following this. The past couple of years ive learned my drainage isnt all that great with all the rains, even after years of adding organic material. Im on the black dirt prarie east of I35. I had to recalibrate my backyard garden vision because of this.

Very true, Quarzon. I fight that clay-ridden black dirt and my largest garden area is both shaded by tall trees and very damp most of the time. Plus I let the falling oak and ligustrum leaves back there serve as my top layer of mulch, so it pretty much STAYS damp even in summer heat. Being at the low end of the block doesn't help, but we have a long French drain at the back of the house (to drain the sump by our basement) and to pump out the collecting ground water when it rains. :) This reality sure altered MY vision of lots of flowers in there. Flowers require sun and I don't have much out back.

I've found it well worth getting the soil tested at a new place to better know what improvements may be needed and which plants are feasible; especially in Texas where the pH varies a lot from east to west and in isolated pockets. Several options - though the TAMU testing lab seems to get used a lot around here. :-)

This Native and Adapted Landscape Plant Guide on the City of Austin site is a great resource for much of the state even though focus is Central Texas (8b).

Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum and Dogwood give us the most vibrant and reliable fall reds in Dallas, though Dogwood requires some pampering in our 7.7 pH clay. There are more options for yellows.

Lots of good advice has been given. Plan on adding compost on a regular basis. For what it's worth,I find advice by those on Tx gardening to be much better than general forum. Ok,so I also injoy talking with Texans. (: