hi, almo, welcome! I live in nashville not far from hillsboro pike. I guess that leads out to hillsboro? where is that? are you near lieper's fork or thompson's station?
your good questions have led me to conclude that I don't know anything about soil. I searched the internet for soil sample nashville and came up with the link below.

here's another one listing labs by state:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/directory/soil_test/

read some of the old posts and you'll quickly find out which are the best for hummingbirds. I'll look for a good post and link to it here.

I like
jacob cline beebalm (monarda)
salvia black and blue
salvia coccinea lady in red
robert kemp cannas
pineapple sage (salvia elegans)
cardinal climber vine
crossvine
coral honeysuckle (lonicera sempervirens)

good luck and post often to let us know how things are going.

Here is a link that might be useful: soil sample info and lab in nashville

here's a link to a recent thread in which we discussed favorite hummingbird plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: best hummingbird plants thread

Welcome to the forum Almo. I am pretty new to this forum as well, but they are a great group, full of great information. I have learned so much here. Plus, the photography here is absolutely breathtaking!

If you want to get your soil tested,I would recommend getting a soil test done by contacting your local agricultural extension service. As far as correcting your soil, I would wait until the test comes back, and see what your local nurseryman has to say about any soil amending needing to be done. Local knowledge is invaluable. I bet Standard can tell a lot about zone hardiness for your area.

The thread on the best hummingbird plants is great. Oh and by the way, the Hummingbird Forum is addicting, but as far as I know, not hazardous to your health.

Improving soil conditions - if corn was grown on the site for years your soil is certainly depleted. My veggie garden is on a former corn/soy field and had been reduced to pure sand. Over the years it has mostly received organic matter, in my case primarily sawdust and manure from my neighbor's stables. Now the soil is pretty black and everything grows like crazy. The only other additives I put in were some lime and rock dust. Things may be different where you are, you could have clay. If you do, you need to dig it up and add as much organic matter as you can. If it is sand, after the first year's digging you can just add organic matter to the surface, and the worms will take it into the soil. To much digging will over-aerate sand and cause the organic matter to break down to quickly. Since you want to grow hummingbird and butterfly plants, most of which want well drained conditions, think of mounding up your beds so water drains off. Long relatively narrow beds are better to work in. You don't want to be compacting the soil by walking on it, so six feet wide is about it.

Almo I can't add anythng else but just get out there and get to work.

Welcome to the forum. Before long you will find that you are addicited to these little birds just like the rest of us.

Welcome Almo! :)

Have fun planting your hummingbird garden. Can't wait to see the pics!

Marcy (catnappurr)

One last thing. Mimis comment is right on target. Remote advice is great, I wish I had had some when I was learning, but there is no substitute for getting right in there. I think other members would agree that it takes years of gardening to find out where you are. Every home is different, and even sections of a yard can be very different. I forget who said their yard had sweet spots where almost anything will grow, and other areas that defy our best efforts. It is really true. No matter how well prepared you are now, you'll look back 10 years from now and wonder what the heck you were up to. The thing is, it would be hard to think of a better way to spend those ten years. And if you are really lucky, the boundaries between you and your garden will blurr, and then you'll be home.