Plants for Heavy Clay
Plants for Heavy Clay Soils
My back hurts ...
Often, that's the biggest problem with heavy clay soils!
Although clay soils are generally rich and fertile, there are some management obstacles associated with them, besides the physical difficulties of working with clay.
Clay tends to be very heavy. And that's before it rains! The heavens open ... yuck. Sticky mess. The kids love it. The dogs love it. Whoever is in charge of household valeting does not love it. Then out comes the sun and bakes the ground rock solid, so that not even a Kango Breaker can crack it.
When it's soggy it's airless. Roots need to breathe just like we do. Especially if they need to be strong enough to break out of Fort Knox ...
Hints and Tips for success with Clay Soils
The first and most important tip is ... do anything you can to open up the soil. Add organic matter, in any form or fashion. Strawy manure, rotted horse manure, leaf mould, peat ... if you empty out any old potted plants, mix the compost in. Buy yourself a garden shredder (very useful toy!) ... shred up all your prunings, then spread the shreddings on the soil. The worms will do the rest. Also, mix in a bit of grit. The results will not be immediate, but they will be worth the effort.
When it comes to slightly more tender plants, it is often a combination of wet and cold that kills, rather than just the cold temperature. Heavy clay soils tend to be both wet and cold, so any plants which are borderline hardy will probably not thrive. Carry out as much planting as possible in the spring, to avoid the worst of the cold and wet season on newly developing roots. Fill the planting hole with a reliable proprietary potting compost such as John Innes 3 or any type of multipurpose, and mix a bit of extra grit in to increase the drainage around the young roots.
Summer fun for the kids ...
Sometimes you will find a pocket of pure clay in your garden ... that's exactly what it is ... clay ... dig it up and use it! Moisten with water as necessary ... then if you add a drop of washing up liquid to the mixture it makes it more workable ... well fun!
Plants for Clay Soils
Pretty much all plants will grow better in well-drained, fertile soil than they will in heavy clay. However there are plants which will grow satisfactorily in a heavier, less well drained medium.
Most bulbs do not do well on heavy clay as they tend to rot, or be eaten by slugs. Grow bulbs in pots instead!
Trees -
Acer pseudoplatanus, Aesculus, Alnus, Carpinus betulus, Crataegus, Fraxinus, Magnolia x soulangiana cultivars, Platanus, Populus, Quercus (Oak), Salix chrysocoma, Taxodium distichum (Taxodium likes it damp or even wet)
Shrubs -
Aucuba, Berberis, Chaenomeles, Cornus alba cultivars, Cornus stolonifera cultivars, Cotoneaster, Forsythia, Hedera, Mahonia aquifolium, Spiraea, Symphoricarpos, Viburnum, Wisteria, Weigela
Perennials and flowers -
Ajuga, Anemone, Aruncus, Aster, Bergenia, Camassia, Digitalis, Doronicum, Dryopteris, Eupatorium, Galanthus, Hemerocallis, Leucojum, Lysimachia, Lythrum, Mentha (Mint), Monarda, Polemonium, Polygonum (Persicaria), Polygonatum, Prunella, Rodgersia, Rudbeckia, Solidago, Symphytum
Picture links ...
To follow ... :-)