And my clay here isn't the sticky icky kind, it's the kind that turns into a solid fricking rock when it dries out and it's MISERABLE. A few weeks ago, I was planting some bluebeards (Caryopteris x clandonensis) and all of the holes were easily dug except one. So, I put the hose in the scratch-mark I was able to hack out with my pickax and filled it with water to let it soak and soften. Left it alone for about an hour. Came back, the water hadn't moved an iota!! So I used the pick part of my pickax (telache') to scratch and try to dig down.. used a hardened steel garden fork to scratch at it.. took about half an hour to break through 8" of soil. Once I got through the clay, I hit sand and things went MUCH more smoothly then. Didn't use the clay to backfill, but rather to use the "moat" I put around all my shrubs to maintain water.
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