Hi. That sounds like quite a challenging plot of land! Do you by chance have access to other types of organic matter, such as leaves, grass clippings, straw, etc.? If I were in your shoes and had these things available, in addition to the manure and wood chips, I think I would try a modified "lasagna" type of soil building. Rather than top off your garden bed with the chips, how about digging the chips into the shallow/sandy soil first. Maybe even make trenches filled with chips and cover them over with soil. They would slowly break down, provide some aeration, and hold some moisture. Next, I would put down layers of whatever else you could get your hands on. I've had good success with grass clippings and leaves. The manure would be excellent. They break down quickly, and you can put in pockets of good soil and compost for the individual plants or smaller beds. A good layer of straw on top of that would finish it nicely and hold in moisture. By the time your new plants stretch out their roots into the surrounding area, the layers will have broken down some, and will be on the way to good soil. All these things will attract earthworms, who would churn the soil and mix everything together for you eventually. You're right - It will take a few years to get good soil. I've used this method on my garden the last 4 years, and the soil and produce quality has gotten much better each year. My soil is very dense silt loam that was grass lawn for 70 years before we bought it. I built raised beds using "lasagna" layers, and am planning a hugelkultur bed this spring. The addition of organic matter has improved drainage, which was horrible. Also, I have so many earthworms now I hate to do much digging! Sorry I don't know answers to your other questions about shrubs, bulbs, and pond, etc. Hopefully someone else will help you on those. Good luck.
