Earlier this spring, we decided to start the landscaping in the backyard. I rented a sod kicker and then a roto-tiller and formed a flower bed that ran the entire length of the back of our house. I then tried to improve the soil in the bed which naturally is pretty much pure clay. I added about 1000 pounds of topsoil, about 12 cubic feet of peat and a couple to bags of vermiculite. We finally planted flowers a couple of weeks back and so far we are pleased with the results. The impatients were probably a bad idea since we are pretty much full sun in the back yard but I think the three time a day watering schedule for 7 minutes each cycle has that problem taken care of for now. Now I am trying to decide what kind of shade tree I want to plant and when to plant it.