About the clay soil, my mother in law mixed in tons of peat moss into her soil.

Talk to your neighbors and family. Go on Craig’s list. Other gardeners are so happy to share a piece of their garden with you. See if anyone is offering thinnings of their own plants. The BEST part about this is that the plants already have some years of growth and even a baby of the original mother plant will be a much better and established when you get it as opposed to buying them at a home store nursery. Walk around your neighborhood and see what other people have planted (I know it’s a little difficult in new development where much of it is pro-landscaped). I like reading BHG and perusing their plans because it gives you an idea of heights and how to plant plants together.