I have Heavy Black Sticky Clay soil here---figs seem to grow fine in it. My problem is that out in the back there are some low spots that don't really hold standing water for more than a day or two during heavy rains, but stay wet a long time. I would like to add some fig trees in those areas, but don't know what to do to improve drainage for the trees. One man locally told me to plant them on mounds. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this or another method for improving drainage in these areas. All my trees are in ground. I thought about pots in those areas, but don't really want to grow in pots. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

In GA we also have thick nasty orange soil.

I've been told time and time again by local farmers that the only solution to improving clay is to work it in with other stuff.  The most common thing I hear is "get earthworms to come up", and "till in some coffee grounds and compost as a start, and continue layering up from that point".

When we did all of our beds around our house, I went to the local landscape supply place and got stuff they called "Landscape mix", which was a 'clean' soil product with horse manure throughout, nice and dark, almost grey in color.  Took this and laid it about 6" deep, then took a (borrowed) tiller, and tilled the mix into the clay, then took a shovel and broke down deeper into it.  Laid a layer of compost from my pile on that, then topped with more 'landscape mix', and topped it with bulk hardwood mulch.  The mushrooms went crazy for a bit. 

For the following 2 years, I tossed coffee grounds from the local Starbucks (they give out free) on top of the beds, and topped with raked/shredded (mower-over method) leaves from the yard and put on top.  I even stole some bags of leaves people were tossing out - I mention this because I wound up with 3 free japanese maples due to stray seeds in the bags ;) - and shredded those if I didn't have enough leaves in my yard.

I realize you may not have 3-4 years of patience like I did.  I understand if this is true.  But I can tell you that you can dig in any of these spots, and find so many earthworms it's almost silly, and the earthworms have even worked through the clay, leaving me about a 18" of nice dark earth where once clay was.

If I were you, if it's possible, I would get enough bulk 'landscape mix' from your local landscape supply, and lay it about 6"-8" thick over the area you're wanting to change up and till it in, just to get the process started.

Thanks Jason, I used a lot of landscape mix last year(two 11 yd. dump truck loads). It's about $275 a load here. I think I may have a place I can get a pickup load for around $40-$45. I built flowerbeds &  rose beds with it last year along with some raised beds in my garden plot. I thought about making some raised beds to start the figs in too, but haven't done it yet. Still undecided.

Jason's on the right track with amending the whole area if that is what you want. Otherwise raised beds or mounds would work. The very last thing you want to do (I've seen this happen to others) is to dig a large planting hole and amend the soil in the hole. What happens in clay is the you create a bath tub full of good soil. First good rain and the bath tub fills up.

One local landscape maintenance company here in Tucson http://romeotreeservice.com/mulch/ will deliver free mulch (whatever's left after chopping up the day's prunings with their chipper-shredder). You might check with companies in your area to see if they offer anything similar.