Question
My husband recently cleared some of our land that had been over crowded with scrub brush, very leggy mountain laurel and rotted old trees. Now the area is all spongy roots and decaiyed leaves. Should I just fill the area before trying to plant some shade plants or should I dig it out-it's about a half acre, no way to get a tractor to it so it will be all manual-the dirt is about 8 inches down. Please help

Answer
Hmmm. I don't think so, depending on what you put in it's place.  Some shade plants are designed to break down all that rotting matter - like ferns, lichen, moss, etc.  My books tell me that Mtn. Laurel is related to the Rhododendron, which likes acidic, rotting matter.  Plants generlaly need some sort of soil to hold the roots together.

I don't think you have to turn over every foot of the new planter area.

If you plan on putting in, say, Hostas, then a spade full of planting soil in the plant-hole before plopping in the new plant would be a good idea.  I don't think that bulb plants would be adversely affected, at least not until you got a bloom out of them.  

As matter decays, it typically robs the soil of nitrogen, so an extra boost of it by way of spray or granule couldn't hurt, too.

By the way, Mtn. Laurel (Kalmia species) is poisonous, so if you have livestock, beware ~M