Beginner Gardening: Starting from scratch, please help! First Post!, 1 by tylert220

tylert220 wrote:
I started on this flower bed, and wow it is a lot of work! I am exhausted to say the least. Anyways, I have a few questions:

1. The soil is has a lot of clay in it, do I need to remove it the best I can or will plants still grow in it as long as I put down a lot of top soil and fertilizers?

2. The soil has a lot of roots in it (from a large tree), do I also need to remove those as well for the plants to grow?

3. What kind of shrub/ small tree should I plant in front of the chimney? I The area receives about an equal amount of sun and shade throughout the day.