If your garden soil is clayey, it can be a challenge to find suitable flowers, shrubs and perennials. Is this the case for you and would you like to know which plants are suitable for clay soil?
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The majority of plants cannot tolerate waterlogging, but this danger exists with clayey garden soil. The high clay content stores plenty of water and dries out more slowly. Sounds good for hot summer periods, but the dryness causes the earth to become rock hard. Sounds complicated, right?
Which plants to choose for clay soil?
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So you need fairly tolerant plant species that can deal with all these disadvantages. The roots should not be too sensitive to moisture and at the same time strong enough to be able to work their way through the solid soil.
The pH value is also important because it can vary from soil to soil. There are heavy soils that are acidic, but also more calcareous ones. If necessary, the garden soil still needs to be prepared. Loosening is always recommended before planting.
Trees for loamy garden soils
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The selection of suitable trees is actually quite large, probably because they form strong roots. The specimens listed below are suitable for both sunny locations and partial shade.
American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
Bergahorn (Acer pseudoplatanus)
Espe (The people trembled) Himalayabirds (Birch useful var. jacquemontii) corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana)
Kornelkirsche (Male horn) Tree of Life (Thuja) Privets (Ligustrum) Photo: nnattalli/ Shutterstock Medlar (Mespilus Germanica) Red Japanese Maple (Maple palmate)
Sauerbaum (Oxydendrum arboreum) White Willow (Salix alba)
Tulpenbaum (Liriodendron tulipifera) Tulip-Magnolie (Magnolia soulangiana) mulberry (Morus)
Winterlinde (Hearted linden trees) Quits (Cydonia) crabapple (Malus)
Which perennials for clay soil
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The following specimens are quite tolerant of heavy garden soils. Nevertheless, you would also be doing them a favor if you worked it up a little first. Which plants like clay soil?
Bergen (Bergen)
Berg-Flockenblume (Centaurea montana) Blue monkshood (Aconite turnip) Miscanthus (Micanthus sinensis) Chinese meadow rue (Thalictrum delavayi) Autumn monkshood (Aconite carmichaelii) Tall Flame Flower (Phlox paniculata) High Forest Goat’s Beard (Diocese) Johannis herbs (Hypericum) Caucasus forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla) Photo: Kabar/ Shutterstock Candleweed (Polygonum embracexicaule) Cushion primrose (Primula acaulis) Strawberry pennywort (Lysimachia numisaria) Peonies (Pioneer) Splendid muscle (Astilbe) Raublatt-Aster/New England-Aster (New-England aster) sun eye (Heliopsis helianthoides) Sun Bride (Helenium)
Storchschnabel (Geranium) sizes (Hemerocallis worshipers)
Clayey soil is also tolerated by shrubs
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Some shrubs for clay soil can already be found in the list of trees, as some specimens can be used both as shrubs and as small trees. These include, for example, the magnolia, the tree of life and the cornelian cherry. Are there both flowering shrubs for clay soil and evergreens as an option?
Bamboo (Bambusoideae); Don’t forget the rhizome barrier barberry (Barberry) However Eukalyptus (Eucalyptus Gunni) Real Snowball (Viburnum’s wealth)
Feige (Ficus) Honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum) hedge spar (Spiraea vanhouttei) Dog Rose (canine rose) Mahogany (Mahonia aquifolium)
Pfaffenhütchen (Euonymus europaeus)
Foto: Bonjour Sweets/ Shutterstock
Ranunkelstrauch (Kerria japonica) Rosen Roter Hartriegel (Bloody horns) Black elder (Black Beauty)
Sternmagnolie (Star magnolia) bird cherry (Prunus soles) Vogelkirsche (Prunus avium)
Wildflieder (Common syringe)
Ground-covering specimens for your garden
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If you would specifically like to plant ground cover in clay soil, we recommend, among other things:
Ananasminze (Mentha suaveolens variegata) Bergamot Indian Nettle (Monarda fistulosa) Common soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)
Goldnessel (Lamium galeobdolon) Small Periwinkle (Vinca minor) Kriechender Günsel (Ajuga Reptans) snake knotweed (Bistorta officinalis)
Storchschnabel (Geranium) Carpet Phlox (The phlox was brought down)
Which plants for clay soil in the shade?
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While the specimens mentioned above prefer the sunny and partially shaded areas in the garden so as not to have their feet wet for too long, there are also some that can thrive even in damp shade. If you are faced with this challenge when designing your garden, you could choose the following plants that tolerate waterlogging:
Fragrant lady’s mantle (Alchemilla soft) Make it Funkie (Hosta) Gold Strawberry (Waldsteinia ternata) Autumn monkshood (Aconite carmichaelii) Caucasus forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla) Small Periwinkle (Vinca minor) Beautiful muscles (Astilbe)
Lawn or flower meadow with clay soil?
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One of the characteristics that makes clay soils more complicated to garden with is that they are also quite low in nutrients due to their density. This is optimal for a meadow, but less so for lawns. Clayey soil is still suitable for lawns if you prepare it appropriately.
Before sowing the lawn:
Loosen the soil (for example by scarifying). Do not incorporate quartz sand that is too fine in order to achieve a loose, airy soil. Incorporate humus and compost. Apply fertilizer to provide nutrients to the clay soil.
In the future, water the lawn more often, but with less water.
Photo: Radko Voleman/Shutterstock
What about the flower meadow?
A low nutrient content is not a problem for many native meadow flowers. Nevertheless, not all species feel comfortable in loamy, dry or too moist soil. Therefore, you should choose flowers wisely and according to the location.
Plants for dry clay soil are quite easy to find, but planting should always come after the soil has been prepared. In order for the seeds to germinate, they should be able to penetrate at least a little into the soil and not just be scattered on the hard clay.
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