Plants for clay soil with catkins and stem colour
Plenty of plants, of a variety of shapes, sizes and colours, thrive in clay soil, so it’s perfectly possible to create a full and attractive border even in these sometimes challenging conditions
Quick facts
- Clay can be very heavy and sticky in winter, while in summer it may be baked hard with wide cracks
- A year-on-year addition of garden compost will gradually make things easier
- Clay soils are often very fertile
- Clay may seem very dry to us, but holds a lot of water for plant roots
- Clay is slow to warm in spring, but also stays warm for longer in autumn
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The planting plan
This planting design provides a range of plants that, once established, will thrive in clay soil and provide a variety of interest throughout the year. A simple planting plan helps to create depth, interest and good coverage in a border.
Clay soils, catkins, flowers and stem colour
Choosing plants for clay soil
These plants have been selected because their preferred growing condition is clay soil. By using plants that are naturally adapted to clay, we can reduce the potential problems that are more likely with plants that are less well suited.
The Bergenia and Sanguisorba provide some groundcover and will help prevent erosion of bare soil. The groundcover can also help to reduce soil surface moisture evaporation and suppress weed growth in summer.
Until the plants have filled out, an organic mulch, preferably homemade compost, can help to lock in soil moisture and suppress weeds. Mulches should be spread when the soil is already moist to help trap some of that moisture before it dries out in summer.
1 - Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’
2 - Weigela florida ‘Foliis Purpureis’
3 - Anemone hupehensis ‘Praecox’
4 - Deutzia x hybrida ‘Mont Rose’
5 - Bergenia ‘Sunningdale’
6 - Sanguisorba ‘Little Angel’
7 - Fuchsia ‘Genii’
8 - Cornus sanguinea ‘Magic Flame’
2 - Weigela florida ‘Foliis Purpureis’ is a deciduous shrub which has dark red foliage and mauve-pink tubular flowers in spring.
3 - Anemone hupehensis ‘Praecox’ has dusky pink flowers in late summer and autumn, held on tall stems above the lower shrubs.
4 - Deutzia x hybrida ‘Mont Rose’ is a deciduous shrub which has an abundance of pink flowers in late spring and early summer.
5 - Bergenia ‘Sunningdale’ provides an evergreen carpeting edge to the scheme with deep pink spring flowers and thick green foliage, red on the underside.
6 - Sanguisorba ‘Little Angel’ surrounds the shrubs and provides burgundy-coloured drumstick flowers from summer into autumn.
7 - Fuchsia ‘Genii’ has yellow-green leaves and hanging flowers with deep rosy-pink petals and a purple skirt, all summer and autumn.
8 - Cornus sanguinea ‘Magic Flame’ provides great seasonality from summer flowers to autumn foliage colour then to stunning winter stem colour
About clay soils
By choosing plants that are well suited to clay soil, you can keep your border looking good and growing well, because plants that are planted in the right place tend to be stronger and more naturally resistant to pests and disease. Once the plants are established, this will also reduce the need for extra inputs that less well-adapted plants might need, such as fertiliser and water.
The challenge of growing on clay soils
Why choose a sustainable planting combination
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