Gardening Tips
Please be sure to check the website each month for their informational and timely gardening tips.
Planting Advice from a Landscape Enthusiast:
When I imagine a dream garden, I often think of plants growing in rich, loose soil in a sunny location. I envision bees happily buzzing, hummingbirds “humming,” and butterflies fluttering among the blossoms. All of that quickly disappears and reality sets in while trying to plant my very first flower bed. CLAY! It is one of the most difficult conditions a gardener can face. It’s wet and dense, and it can bake as solid as a brick in the sun. This leaves little room for water and air to circulate.
Choosing plants to grow in clay soil takes some discretion. But there are some that not only tolerate clay soil, but also help to break up and improve its texture and drainage. With that in mind, here is a list of 10 shade-tolerant plants for clay soil. Many of these will attract helpful pollinators.
- Aquilegia (“Columbine”) are mound-forming plants that produce small, rounded leaves and tall stalks with colorful, bell-shaped, “fairy tale” blooms high above the foliage. Attractive to hummingbirds and other pollinators. (Songbirds like the seeds.) Full sun to part shade. Bloom time: mid-spring to early summer.
- Ajuga (“Bugleweed”) are an evergreen, spreading ground cover that produces colorful leaves and short, vertical spikes of flowers held above its foliage. Highly attractive to bees. Full sun to full shade. Bloom time: late spring.
- Astilbe (“False Goat’s Beard”) are clump-forming, ferny-leafed plants that produce frothy plumes of colorful flowers. Attractive to butterflies and bees. Part to full shade. Bloom time: early and late summer.
- Crocosmia (“Montbretia”) are clump-for ming plants that produce narrow, sword-shaped foliage and vividly colored flowers. Tubular-shaped blooms burst forth on wiry stems. Attractive to hummingbirds. Full sun to part shade. Bloom time: late summer.
- Hardy Geranium (“Cranesbill”) are a clump-forming plant with lobed leaves and small, cupped shaped, colorful flowers. Attractive to bees and butterflies. Full sun to part shade. Bloom time: spring to fall.
- Euphorbia (“Spurge”— NOT to be confused with the Baby’s Breath-like hybrid, “Diamond Frost” Euphorbia) are stout mounding plants with leafy stems, available in a wide range of varieties. The succulent varieties are mainly grown for their attractive foliage with insignificant small flowers. Full sun to part shade.
- Helleborus (“Lenten Rose”) are plants that produce toothed, leathery leaves and downward facing, wild rose-like flowers. Attractive to bees and butterflies. Part shade. Bloom time: early through late spring.
- Hosta (“Plantation Lily”) are low-growing, clump-forming plants grown mostly for their lovely foliage. They produce tall, flower-topped spires. Attractive to hummingbirds and bees. Part shade. Bloom time: early summer.
- Hydrangea are upright shrubs that produce leaves and flowers of different sizes and colors, depending upon the variety. They primarily bloom in blue, pink, purple, or white, and the acidity of the soil determines the shade of some varieties. There are 5 main types of hydrangeas and each one has its own distinctive blossoms. The Oakleaf varieties are especially attractive to bees and other pollinators. Full sun to part shade. Bloom time: spring to midsummer, mid-summer to fall, depending upon variety.
- Phlox are mainly known as being either of the creeping or tall variety. They produce bright, colorful, disc-like flowers. Attractive to butterflies and other pollinators. Full sun to part shade. Bloom time: spring or summer, depending upon the variety.
If you want to brighten up a shady area that has clay soil just choose the right plants and enjoy the uniquely refreshing joys of a shade garden!
-Landscape Chair