I have a clay based soil also. Redtips seem to grow really well in the clay soil. The one I have in the front of my house has gotten really big and i've only had it a year.

I live in zone 8, Redtips, Orleanders, Forsythia, Crepe Mrytles all do well in clay soil. I have all of these in my yard.

If you use bamboo, just make sure you get the clumping kind. It will only spread about
2-3 ft. from the mother plant. How far north are you in Zone 8? There is a great
bamboo nursery up near Birmingham, AL.

There is a soil amendment that helps keeps the clay broken up. Ask your local nursery. Also when planting plants, dig the whole as deep as the pot or roots and 2x as wide. Either get a soil mixture or mix your own,, 1/3 of each top soil, cow manure, peat and throw in a little sand for good measure. Mix that with the natural soil,, 1/3 natural(clay) and 2/3 your mix. There are lots of really cool plants that will grow in that soil. Mix in some hardscapes like stepping stones, benches, containers to add colorful plants.... And you're on you way.

sheap and peat seems to work better for me than cow. Try placing your trellis/ arbor (the white one you walk under) against the fence. Perhaps due a series of them spaced equally apart. Three is a good number. That will add height to the fence line. then plant either a grape vine, honeysuckle, or other climbing vine that is airy. it will provide a different element other than the wood to your barrier and soften up the fence line. If you like color, try painting them fun crayola colors.

If you pay attention to the required planting distances, and plant them a good 6/8 feet out from the fence, I agree with Inkwitch, I'd plant 3 or 4 Thuja Green Giant arborvitae. It's a tall, fast growing shrub you can either let grow into it's conical shape or trim it in to a hedge. They grow big and VERY fast so thus the warning to plant it away from your fence and watch the spacing. Alternatives are the red tip, Nelly Stevens Holly, or if you amend your soil so it drains better with peat moss and some sand around them, try PJM rhododendrons. They are beautiful in flower. The Thuja will grow the fastest by far.

I would use a sprayer and paint the fence black or a dark grey. I would remove your arbors - they lead no where and are distracting. Maybe move them parallel with the house where you would enter the garden on each side. Pull the plant that looks like it's dying. If it's a boxwood it looks like it has boxwood mite.

I would, personally, never plant either bamboo (of any kind) or honeysuckle which is invasive as heck and could easily, if left unchecked over the years, tear down your fence. You will regret planting forsythia in your yard if you don't like to be constantly cutting it back and digging up where it will try and spread IMHO.

Rent a power washer and use concrete cleaner and power wash your concrete. Then, even if you decide to paint it as others suggest, be sure to use concrete sealer on it. It will help keep the paint from chipping (if painted) but if left bare, keep the mold and mildew from regrowing.

Around the edges of the grass and the patio - consider planting liriope. Most bigger garden centers sell it in flats which is cheaper than individual plants. Google it. It is fast growing, spreads and is easily divided (free plants!), hardy - and will soften the edges of all those different textures you have going on.

Rhododendrons or mountain laurels need partial shade, which you have with your other trees. They are evergreen. Mixed with one of the many cool varieties of the evergreen euonymus (I love the boxleaf - looks almost like boxwood but doesn't smell and is much easier/susceptible to disease) you could keep it simple and have some color. There are also many varieties of euonymous that are creepers and would grow well underneath your decidious trees. Azaleas can be finicky and can get diseased easily. Rose of sharon and crepe myrtle also require pruning/training to keep them looking well. I'd skip them as well. I wouldn't bother with daylillies either. I'd keep it simple - low maintenance. Hope that helps.

I've got the curse of clay & planted Hostas, a rhodo., grasses of all types, jap maple dwarf tree I planted out front has done great. The best most beautiful is knockout roses. They bloom forever, but watch for gypsy moths or it may be jap beetles that'll eat holes in them, just use Seven dust & they won't attack. A banana peel in the soil always perks up their blooming. Your yard is a beauty in waiting. It add something interesting if you created some height differences among your plantings.

Thank you for responding

Thank you for the great suggestions - I really like the oleanders...

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you,

You also might want to go to www.fastgrowingtrees.com they have a great selection of plants,( I love the people and they are always happy to help too), shrubs, and trees and they can give you all the choices that a zone 8 with grow well in. Good Luck

All of the above plants will be great. I just wanted to echo the suggestion to amend your clay. There is something pretty magical about adding organic material to any soil. It helps clay drain and helps sand retain moisture. So dig in some good organic matter when you plant, then mulch with bark (not chips), knowing that you will add and freshen it every couple of years as the bark breaks down and improves your soil.

Amending your soil will only be productive for small bushes that do not root deeply. I like the crape myrtle suggestion. They are lower maintenance. IF you look at oleanders, realize they DO need annual cutting back or they will look like the photo below ... huge! When they freeze, their poisonous stems and leaves become attractive to dogs as they become sweet-tasting

I have alot of clay and rock in my soil. I dig with an iron rod and then shovel and screen the larger rock and gravel out. And use 20 to 50% compost mixed in.

You are not going to like doing this, but I dig to 2 or 3' deep and make pits to hold more moisture. Pit size is based on final, not initial plant size. So my pits are 2.5' to 8' wide. They sort of work like in ground planters. Everything does better this way. Hydrangeas love it.

Before

After

8' wide by 4.5" deep bog pit being readied to support Giant Chilean Gunnera. Bottom 3.5' of the pit was lined with plastic and water connection through the compost ammended soil connect with canna (non plastic lined) and Japanese Iris (plastic lined below 10").

Baby 5' Gunnera tinctoria just planted and watered. It takes 30 min to soak excess water through.

Final area leaves 11'+ for plant expansion, which will be tight.

Connecting Canna and Japanese Iris bog area area just after installation in late fall.

Some of the Iris planted therein.

Canna, Cardinal Flower planted in prepared bog areas in this yard. Bogs are both in stand alone installations as above and shallow shelves dug into the pond margins. A large single pond sheet covers the entire pond 15'x8.5'x3' and attached bog areas.

A high clay soil is a great place to dig a pond. Less fear of drainage if gets a leak and dramatic focal point.

Still staging plants in nursery tubs to test light location and visual impact before planting 6 to 12 month later.

None of the above plants were planted when took the photo. Staging looks good so are being installed this fall/winter/spring.

look into a bottlebrush- too big? I really like those!