I have clay soil, and I REALLY want to make a flower bed ASAP. What...

[ronaldo.lover7]

... do I do? Please help give me ideas if you can. Our yard is mostly in the trees and I would love to make a flower bed to brighten our yard. I have tryed many foums and no one has replyed. PLEASE REPLY!! We have clay soil, but we do have chickens in our backyard so maybe I could use the manure to make the soil richer? Please give me ideas ASAP!:tools

 

[patandchickens]

Your clay is not likely to be such a problem as the trees Is it shady? There is a real limit to how many bright-or-profusely-flowering plants there are that will perform well in shade. For annuals, things like impatiens and lobelia etc; for perennials, things like astilbe, lamium, etc. You will have more options if it is bright open shade and/or it gets some sun. But, look carefully into what plants will do well under the conditions.

As far as the clay goes, the usual thing would be to dig in a bunch of well-composted organic matter. If there are lots of tree roots in the area, this is sometimes difficult though (mechanically difficult, and problematic because you don't want to too-seriously injure trees' root systems, and problematic because some trees are really bad for having their roots take over any nice soil you may create). What kind of trees are they?

If you can't or don't want to amend the soil in the area, you will have to go with a raised bed (or containers, if you want annuals). This will require more watering, and of course probably require the purchase of soil to fill 'em, but is sometimes a useful solution.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[vfem]

I agree with the issue maybe being the trees more then the soil.

I have extremely clay soil, and the issue for me is drainage. I can easily till in some good compost and manure and have good soil... still having drainage issue though. So we went with raised beds and just filled with good soil. Now if you have a lot of shade, try some shade plants in some raised beds mostly.

I know that there are some flowering shade plants that might do good for you in the clay and shade such as lily of the valley, and maybe some bleeding hearts. I would just make sure that drainage is good and they are planted away from any immediate tree root system so they aren't struggling for water

 

[setter4]

It would help to know what area you are in and how much shade you have. Do you get any sun at all in the area you want to plant in? Can you dig without harmingthe tree roots or do you need to do raised beds?Do you want annuals or perrenials?
Give us some more info and we'll give you opinions! lol

 

[ShadyGlade]

Between clay soil and competition from tree roots you may want to seriously consider raised beds and/or container gardening. It will be easier to build good soil on top of the clay than to lighten the clay deep enough to get good drainage. And trees are fierce competitors for nutrients.

 

[ronaldo.lover7]

we live in NC. yes we have A LOT of shade. The spot that i'm looking at has sun during some of the day. The trees around the area are oak and poplar. Also, there is a lil' peach tree near by, and a few flower bushes. i wish it was simple...

 

[mmtillman]

We too have the same problem...trees and clay soil. So we began by making raised flower beds and adding good black dirt that we got in the woods...Lots of 5 gallon buckets!
OH yes...and cow poo added to it a year before planting ...just let the cow poo age in a compost pile for a while .

We have a compost pile and finally , after 20 years it is a good source for enriching our soil in the beds.

We use railroad ties, stone, bricks and landscape timbers to make our beds.

I wish I had some pictures of them....I will later this summer !!

We try to grow things that will take shade and sun .....hostas, ground cover like ivy, etc....I will try to make a list for you if you email me ?

HOpe you have good luck with your flowerbeds ! Be sure and let us know ??? Mary Ann :rose

 

[vfem]

we live in NC. yes we have A LOT of shade. The spot that i'm looking at has sun during some of the day. The trees around the area are oak and poplar. Also, there is a lil' peach tree near by, and a few flower bushes. i wish it was simple...

Awww... NC clay! I dries me nuts... it's like to get 4" down and you notice there are no roots to be seen anymore

You'll do ok.... If you want less work of getting some beds ready now, I would do the raised beds in your sunniest of spots and just unload fresh compost and soil into those beds. Just clear underneath them.

That''s how we managed ours. http://fromseed.blogspot.com

 

[j.luetkemeyer]

Google Lasagna Gardening or sheet mulching. Works excellent especially if you have clay soil.

 

[Sylvie]

You could thin the tree branches to allow more light or dappled shade.