@susanpercival12cGxX9sL I grow Viburnum Watanabe in my garden. Also V Bodnantense Charles Lamont. There are so many different ones. I don't grow lilac so unable to help with that. It has taken me many years to understand the soil and accept it's limits. With plenty of research and an acceptance of what I cannot grow, that is how I made progress.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
A lilac would be fine - again, providing you get a decent mix with your soil when you backfill the area. They can get quite sizeable over time, depending on which one you get, but they'll take a while to get there.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@susanpercival12cGxX9sL My garden is wet in winter and then it can be very dry in summer. The challenge is to find plants that can deal with these extremes. Here are some of the plants I have had success with. Grasses do well.Miscanthus Flamingo,M Zebrinus, the very tall M Kliene Fontaene grow well but they are difficult if you need to split them. I didn't mention Viburnum Rhytidopyllum which I love, it needs to be out of the way as this one can make you sneeze and itch! A neighbour grows one of the scented Viburnums Carlesii it has suffered from Odema in a wet winter but now as a mature shrub it seems fine. Campanulas are also good I like C Dixon's Gold. Euphorbia Robbiae, plus alot of the Hardy Geraniums. G macrorrizum White Ness and G Phaum Lily Lovell are good in shade. I also have Amelanchier Ballerina and a multistemmed A Lamarckii. I cannot be sure this information wil be helpful and you mat have given some of these plants a go already. The soil in my garden is much improved now after years of work, extra care is always needed when planting.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
@susanpercival12cGxX9sL My garden is wet in winter and then it can be very dry in summer. The challenge is to find plants that can deal with these extremes. Here are some of the plants I have had success with. Grasses do well.Miscanthus Flamingo,M Zebrinus, the very tall M Kliene Fontaene grow well but they are difficult if you need to split them. I didn't mention Viburnum Rhytidopyllum which I love, it needs to be out of the way as this one can make you sneeze and itch! A neighbour grows one of the scented Viburnums Carlesii it has suffered from Odema in a wet winter but now as a mature shrub it seems fine. Campanulas are also good I like C Dixon's Gold. Euphorbia Robbiae, plus alot of the Hardy Geraniums. G macrorrizum White Ness and G Phaum Lily Lovell are good in shade. I also have Amelanchier Ballerina and a multistemmed A Lamarckii. I cannot be sure this information wil be helpful and you mat have given some of these plants a go already. The soil in my garden is much improved now after years of work, extra care is always needed when planting.
Suze, your garden sounds lovely! Thanks for the plant advice which I will definitely research.
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https://www.gardenerreport.com/can-roses-grow-in-clay-soil/
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
They can get quite sizeable over time, depending on which one you get, but they'll take a while to get there.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Grasses do well.Miscanthus Flamingo,M Zebrinus, the very tall M Kliene Fontaene grow well but they are difficult if you need to split them.
I didn't mention Viburnum Rhytidopyllum which I love, it needs to be out of the way as this one can make you sneeze and itch! A neighbour grows one of the scented Viburnums Carlesii it has suffered from Odema in a wet winter but now as a mature shrub it seems fine.
Campanulas are also good I like C Dixon's Gold. Euphorbia Robbiae, plus alot of the Hardy Geraniums. G macrorrizum White Ness and G Phaum Lily Lovell are good in shade.
I also have Amelanchier Ballerina and a multistemmed A Lamarckii.
I cannot be sure this information wil be helpful and you mat have given some of these plants a go already.
The soil in my garden is much improved now after years of work, extra care is always needed when planting.