Hope you have gotten some emails. Just wanted to make you aware of the TX forum, if you didn't already know about it.

Hi purpleinopp,

Unfortunately, no. I am so chagrined...I was thinking only this morning the roots from the trees surrounding the fence probably extend far out into and across the yard. I am now beginning to doubt if anything at all can be grown there because I do not think the earth can be dug very deep due to the trees' roots. : (

I very much doubt that the conditions in your yard are so site-specific that you can't get advice other than from a personal mentor.

You could try the tree forum here on Gardenweb for advice about working around the mulberries. Trees have different sorts of root systems, and vary in their sensitivity to work around them. My guess (and I don't know mulberries or Texas) is that a little mulching over top of your soil would be a start to making it more fertile and would not hurt the trees, and if you do limited planting they should be fine. And if you are terrified of their loss, then one antidote is to plant some new trees (probably in fall, not now, too hot) that increase your shade options.

You could also try the Texas forum for advice on what plants, native and otherwise, might grow well in your conditions.

I'm also betting there are books and magazines aimed at dealing with your local climate and conditions - local library, used book store, magazine rack, bookstore, garden centres.

And if you want overall advice, try the Landscape Design forum. From there you might be directed back to other forums, but you might also get some general direction. Seems to me you need a kickstart!

You will have to learn how to post photos. You'll need an account on a free photohosting site like photobucket, flickr, etc. Upload your photos from your computer to your album on whatever site you choose, and then post a link in the body of your post on Gardenweb - for Photobucket, you copy the HTML code and paste it in. Your photo should show up when you hit preview. If it doesn't, check your steps before hitting submit.

If you decide you do need a personal mentor, then you should hire one - garden maintenance or landscaping companies might be happy to help. For a fee of course. Free help is a little harder to find :-)

KarinL

Here is a link that might be useful: Trees forum

I am north of Fort Worth and garden in an oak tree grove. I grow lots of turk's cap, hydrangea, ferns and a few hosta. My tropical plants love to go in ground for our long warm season and appreciate the shade when it's in the 100's. Start a compost pile and just keep top dressing your garden area to improve the soil. In a treed garden, you will always encounter roots when planting, but I have found that as long as I avoid the main large roots, the trees are fine. Another challenge is the water...trees will take what they need and leave the garden dry ;-)

I didn't find an email address for you, but I am a regular at the Texas Gardenweb forum. Drop on by!

Pam

Here is a link that might be useful: Gardening in Texas