what plants can i grow in my clay soil garden

emweaver

It also got very soggy in places when it was grass down, could this be due to the clay soil?

*MF*

Soggy is down to the clay for sure, mine goes squelch after it rains, and you could make bricks out of it when there has been a dry spell, lol.

Try one bag of the conditioner - at £4.00 - ish - it will cover the size of area I am picturing you referring to, and it is just old plant material, and just stops the clay being so hard to work with, and lets the plants grow their roots better.

Oh - and, no smell, honest!

emweaver

lol thanks will ahve a look when i can next get to town

i did look on b&q webside but its not finding anything, is it actually called soil conditioner?

*MF*

Yep - soil conditioner it is - and comes in different sizes, and newbiscus will need well drained soil - given you a link on the other post that will help you on that.

emweaver

are there any plants that can be planted in clay soil?

emweaver

any tiips on what flowers you can plant as im not really interested in veg?

mary43

Where my Mum used to live the soil was so much like clay you could have made a pot out of it - but she somehow managed to work wonders with clematis, roses, all sorts of shrubs, cottage garden plants......so not sure whether there are certain plants that prefer it or whether its just luck.
Things Mum grew I can''t and we don't have clay soil here.

mary43

Ooops..........I just replied on the other 'clay soil' thread

*MF*

Some ideas here:

http://www.gardeninghelpuk.com/plants_for_clay_soils.htm

More ideas and pictures here:

http://www.complete-gardens.co.uk/online/online-gardening-plant-solutions-category.php?cat=16

Boring - but true - info here:

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1002/clay_soils.asp

Why not consider using containers and avoid the clay soil if that is really causing you angst, lol?

Ephemera

Hi there,

If you have dug out a patch of clay soil you have probably discovered that the surrounding un-dug soil turns your dug patch into a bog!

The simplest way to get ground that you can grow pretty much anything in straight away would be to create a raised bed. Just make a wooden frame around the dug area, fill the top with good quality topsoil or compost. The worms will move the compost into the clay soil beneath for you over time, and save you a LOT of digging! You can also add sharp sand or fine grit to help open up the underlying soil too and aid drainage.

As you have raised the level of the ground then what you can plant will be up to you. The plants get the benefit of clay soil to retain moisture, and they are not sitting in water that can rot roots. As for choosing plants, I tend to just plant what I like, if it lives, great, if it doesn't, I plant something else. I find that following guidelines does not always work - I have had plants thrive in soils they should have died in, and vice versa.

If cost is important, then why not swap plants with friends and family. Cuttings and air layering are simple and extremely cheap ways of propagating plants and are a lot of fun too. You can Google for ideas and advice...there's lots of it out there. Car boot sales, school fayres, etc are also good places to find plant bargains.

One other thing to consider is that there are a lot of plants out there that not only look great, but are edible too! Ruby or rainbow chard, white flowered runner beans, nasturtiums and pansies, ornamental rhubarb, etc are all pretty and are tasty, too. Herbs are great as well and a lot are drought tolerant so saving you water.

Food for thought?