chris

MSKitty, Thanks for the welcome. And yes, I'm really amazed at the difference in soil. I already have some varieties planted in various spots, some of which are doing ok, the others are actually not getting enough water.

After the house, our next major project will be running more water lines. At least we put one line in going to the front of the property, but if I need to water other areas, I have to drag what feels like miles of hoses around the yard. (And god forbid my husband mows, he doesn't bother picking up the water hoses first and just runs them over - so normally he's not allowed to mow).

The areas that have standing water are in the back yard where we left a bunch of woods with trails and along the sides of the driveway. Our biggest problem is that a good portion of the back yard around the house doesn't get enough oxygen; which I think is a combination of compaction, fine sand and when we get heavy rains, it sheets off our property towards our neighbors yard and the very back of our property line. I'm not sure if it's truly alluvial soil, but it might be in certain areas. Just when I thought I knew how to plant things, I have to learn all over again...