Calling all heavy clay gardeners! Which plants worked (and which didn't)?

[chickpea1982]

My garden is on heavy clay,which gets very waterlogged during the winter (ok, late autumn and winter through to early spring). I've been here a few years now and seen several plants die because they can't cope with being so waterlogged for part of the year. I've resolved this year to only plant things which can tolerate soggy ground and heavy clay soil.

Something I find a bit frustrating is that, when you look up what soil a plant likes, it almost always says 'free draining'. But it's harder to find out what plants will tolerate soggy soil,band which definitely won't. I thought a thread on the topic would be a good idea so we can share our experiences.

Currently thriving in my garden:

Camelia
Cornus (the one with red stems)
Philadelphus
Weigela
Cherry tree
Malus Rudolph (tree)
Viburnum tinus
Spirea
Acer (tree)
Pittosporum
Osmanthus burkwoodii
Enkianthus campanulatus
Leucothoe fontanesiana
Escallonia iveyi
Hydrangea
Berberis
Viburnum plucatum mariesii
Nandina domestica

It's hard to remember everything which has died, but off the top of my head:

Eucalyptus gunni (I should have seen that one coming!)
Delphinium
Choisya ternata Sundance (didn't die, but really struggled)
Syringa vulgaris (lilac) - again, didn't die, but struggled and has never flowered
Convulvus cneorum
Hebe (almost but not quite dead)
Dicentra spectabilis
Pretty much every bulb I've ever planted

I'd be interested to hear from anyone else with similar soil to see what's worked for you and what hasn't.

I found that roses did well, hellebores, irises, peonies and pulmonarias, tiarella, heucheras and foxgloves too. Where we previously lived was very heavy clay, all of these thrived as well as primroses, primulas and bog plants!

I don't know if this is remotely helpful but I dug my beds out and then filled them in with compost which made a huge difference in the success of my plants. I currently have a blueberry bush, raspberry Bush, a hebe and a clematis growing successfully. Obviously the further down they root it becomes clay soil.

I don't know any soil that you don't need to improve, particularly clay soil.

Great thread!

Thriving:
roses
pyracantha
clematis
willow
azalea
hollyhocks
forget me knots
weigela
peony
geraniums
thrift
pulmonaria
persian buttercup
stocks
lobelia
campanula
ceonothus
salvia
verbena
gardenia
magnolia
grape hyacinths
hibiscus
next door’s bloody bamboo

died:
lilac
buddleia
borage
foxgloves
agapanthus
alliums
dianthus
fuchsia

I'm also really delighted to find this thread!!

I don't have any problem with bluebells and daffodils, (or wild garlic and three cornered leek, unfortunately.)

Day lily spreads like crazy, bamboo, primroses, cyclamen, acanthus, ferns of all sorts, soapwort, mint, mombretia.

Guelder rose, holly ... so far the only tree that has failed was Paulownia.

Mostly following for ideas but it's always worth a good look around your local area to see what's thriving. Camassia and crocosmia seem to do well in my wettest bed, also wood anemones. Roses also seem to cope well though I suspect the dampness may contribute to them getting black spot pretty much every year. Hardy geranium Roxane is amazing and pops up year after year. Tubers you lift over the winter like dahlias and gladioli are another possibility.

Bum. I have just bought some Dicentra.
My plan is to just keep mulching and mulching until the soil is a bit less claggy.

So far I have killed:
tulips
clematis, (but some others seem fine)
Salvias
Some sort of decorative nettle with pink flowers, although I think something might have eaten that.

I have just bought a crab apple tree, malus royalty. Supposed to love clay soil. Hoping this turns out to be true.

Oh yes. And have also killed dahlias.

For most spring bulbs I find the only way is to plant them in pots in the autumn and then plant them out in the spring as the ground dries out a bit. I do have a few stubborn ones that come up year after year but I don't know how they manage to avoid rotting!

I have heavy clay and fairly damp and these grow well:

Meadow Rue,
Aquilegia,
Pulmonaria,
Cowslip,
Primrose,
Cyclamen,
Snowdrops,
Crocosmia,
Japanese anenmone,
Wood anemone.

I was surprised to see hollyhocks on the list of survivors as I really struggle to grow them.

Hardy geraniums are amazing in my garden as well as...
Grasses ( surprisingly)
Roses
Peonies
Honeysuckle
Phormiums ( though not keen on them)
Hebe
Euonymus
Erygeron
Pulmonaria
Verbena
Agapanthus but it needs some help

I've stopped bothering with...
Delphiniums
Hollyhocks
Stocks
Passionflowers
Clematis

Adding from the boggy bit of my garden
Astilbe
Mahonia aquifolium
Vitis coignetiae
Anemone nemorosa
Flowering currant
Bay

Also good in boggy clay soils - Lythrum salicifolia, Marsh marigold, Snakes head fritillary.

We have a clay soil which I’ve spent 10 years mulching and improving but I still find claggy patches. We are also quite cold up here and have lost hebes and jasmine.

I’ve had success with dicentra in my sunniest border. In the shady and wettest I have crab apples, pulmonaria, hellebores, astilbe, astrantia and ferns. Also climbing hydrangea- now it’s going is thriving but it took 3 years for significant growth.

japanese and wood anemones have done well and aquilegia. roses and raspberries have also thrived.
when I want to grow more “alpine” plants like Erica or those which like poor sandy soil I fall back on pots and planters.

Can confirm that crab apples have done well in my clay soil!

I have given up and mixed pots into my borders. Still establishing it but it is getting there and means I can finally have some bedding plants and dahlias.

Was also going to say Japanese anenome and foxgloves. Lady's mantle too.

Oh good, I've just planted a crab apple.

Things doing well on my heavy clay - Bergenia, Euonymous, Fuschias, Hypericum Hidcote, roses and bloody bindweed.

I have really heavy clay and I've lost so many plants over this last rainy winter. Geramiums particularly seem to have hated it. What has been okay are mahonia, astilbe, hydrangea, roses, fuschia, azalea/rhododendron and potentilla seem unfussy too.

Geranium Rozeanne
Rosemary
Mexican fleabane
Lilac
Roses
Ferns
Magnolia estellata

Will be bookmarking this thread !

I have heavy clay and geum, roses, peony (sunny spot), aquilegia, giant poppy, allium, heuchera, ribes sanguinem, sambuca nigra, Nigella all seem to be doing ok currently

My list of successful plants is pretty much as above.

Clematis montana and viticella do well; all others sink without trace.

My raspberry bushes, hosta and mulberry are incredibly happy in my clay soil. We have a tiny garden so I've dotted raised beds around with some sand toward the bottom, then filled with compost so most of my plants are in there to get around the clay soil.

Oh, just remembered out the front my hydrangeas and rose are quite happy in a moderately clay-ish soil. I say moderate because it's quite boggy, but not as bad as the back garden which I'm pretty sure I could actually throw pottery from 😂