SHREVEPORT, La. - At Akin’s Nursery in Shreveport, owner Jennifer McGimsey says one of the biggest challenges local gardeners face is right under their feet: Northwest Louisiana’s heavy clay soil.

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Once winter rains set in, clay soils become saturated and hard to handle. They won’t dry out until mid-spring, when they can bake hard. This sounds dire – but clay soils have the advantage of being ...

A variety of trees grow in a suburban back yard. - Stefania Pelfini, La Waziya Photography/Getty Images Gardening in clay soil comes with challenges. Because of how sticky and heavy the clay is, the ...

A boxwood alternative that blooms, a willow with silvery foliage, and another slew of new-twist hydrangeas are among the most ...