Flowers for Clay Soil?
What are some nice long blooming flowers to plant in clay soil and full sun that are 12" or less in height? Perennials or annuals are fine but I want color.
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opabinia51
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This one gets a lot taller than 12 inches but, you can keep it pruned. Nice pink flowers with green foliage and it blooms all summer and fall long. Amazing.
Lavatera.
If you want it short, you'll have to keep up on it though because they grow like you wouldn't believe.
If you plant some spring, summer an fall daylilies they will give you blooms through the three seasons.
Lavatera.
If you want it short, you'll have to keep up on it though because they grow like you wouldn't believe.
If you plant some spring, summer an fall daylilies they will give you blooms through the three seasons.
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opabinia51
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
Forgot to mention this before but, you may wish to ammend your clay soil by adding organic matter in the form of mulched up leaves for browns and manure, seaweed or other greens in the form of a sheet compost. The same can be done with trench composts.
Also plant some daikon that will help to break up the soil but don't harvest the daikon, cut the foliage away in the fall and leave the root to decompose in the soil, thus breaking it up a bit and adding some more organic matter.
Doing this year after year, will slowly but surely improve your soil conditions.
Also plant some daikon that will help to break up the soil but don't harvest the daikon, cut the foliage away in the fall and leave the root to decompose in the soil, thus breaking it up a bit and adding some more organic matter.
Doing this year after year, will slowly but surely improve your soil conditions.
You can grow anything in clay soil, provided you mix it up with some other organic matter as Opa suggested. The biggest problem with clay is drainage, since clay has a tendency to stay wet for a loooong time, and if you just create a hole and fill it with organic matter and stick a plant in there - you just created a bowl for the water to sit in!
On the plus side - clay has lots of good nutrients in it.
On the plus side - clay has lots of good nutrients in it.
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lovetogarden
- Full Member
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- Joined: Fri Jun 02, 2006 4:10 am
I live in Missiouri . Clay soil is the norm. What I dissovered was, instead of fighting it, plant what grows in it. There is a company called MO native wildflowers that I have purchased from.
https://www.mowildflowers.net/
Since you mention you want flowers 12" or so, I would suggest primrose or poppy mallow. They have big showy flowers for being small plants. Also, these MO natives are perennials, and they do spread to fill in the area.
You will also have a more unique garden, as most Wally world or nursery plant flowers are standard annuals- petunias, panseys, etc....
Hope this helps.
https://www.mowildflowers.net/
Since you mention you want flowers 12" or so, I would suggest primrose or poppy mallow. They have big showy flowers for being small plants. Also, these MO natives are perennials, and they do spread to fill in the area.
You will also have a more unique garden, as most Wally world or nursery plant flowers are standard annuals- petunias, panseys, etc....
Hope this helps.