Hi: It's me again. A transplanter from Rhode Island. We have 1.5 acres in Speegleville. Soil is clay, like a rock! I am searching for a nice flowery plant that will climb the side wall (w/trellis) that is in the shade almost all day.

Also, I love the Japanese Dogwood Tree. Is there any chance that the dogwood will survive here in Speegleville? What about a lemon tree, or forthysia and lilacs? I miss all of these. I do love the Desert Willow and planted two a while back and one survived.

Thanks. Any information you want to throw back at me will be great and I will be so thankful. I have not had much luck with my plants since we purchased the house.

Hello. Glad to see a motivated gardener!

I'm sorry, as a recent North Texas transplant, I do not know where Speegleville is located.

But if you're North of Austin, odds are that you cannot grow a lemon in the ground. I have had great success growing them in pots though. We have a meyers lemon, and a key lime. You just need to fertilize 'em with citrus specific fertilizer every couple of months. They'll bloom gorgeous, sweet smelling blossoms, and put out a few citrus thereafter.

A forsythia should do fine. But lilacs are debateable. Some people have had mixed success. There are types of lilacs that do well in Texas, but they don't all smell as nice as those that do so well up North. This is according to what I've read on the gardenweb.com, Texas Gardening site.

Good luck!