I’m a great believer in digging once and thoroughly to mix in tonnes (and I mean tonnes!) of organic matter to clay and breaking up the hard pan underneath. It’s a lot of work and expense initially, but my clay soil was very compacted and totally lifeless with not a worm in sight, so layering it on top and hoping for worms to magically appear to do the job for me over winter simply didn’t cut it. I tried that initially but the organic matter just sat on the top and didn’t help the plants get their roots down. In subsequent years I mulched on the surface with more organic matter and after 5 years it’s nicely workable and the clay provides excellent fertility. Now I have lots of worms, beetles, microorganisms and fungi doing the work to keep the soil healthy
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I'm on solid sticky clay here, and it's no fun digging holes for any purpose, but whether it's worth hiring machinery is something I really don't know about. I do raised beds instead. Much easier, but I can do the work myself, so that's also cheaper On the areas where I created new borders at ground level, I stripped the turf off that was there, and put a load of manure on it over winter. I worked in a stable, so it was easy for me to get that though. The border was perfectly viable the following year. If you're unable to do the work yourself, it might be better to get someone in, just to create a few useable areas for you to start with. I'd forget bamboo and willow too, when you have such a small space to work with. Both will become a nuisance, and even the so called clumping bamboos can spread. The willow will become a monster if it likes the site - which is highly likely. You'd just be storing up more problems for further in the future. If you need help choosing plants, it's better to ask on here. As @Liriodendron says, plants outside shops aren't the best route to take if you don't know what they are, and what their likes/dislikes are either. A selection of shrubs - evergreen if possible, will give you a shelter belt, and make it easier for other plants to thrive. Even some standard hedging plants will do that. The aspect of each area will help - some plants like sun, some like shade, some like damp, some like dry, so that is useful for offering suggestions.
If you have a photo of the site, that will also help
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Raised beds could well be a good solution - great idea, @Fairygirl. You could get someone in to construct them for you, then you'd be able to fill them with decent soil and organic matter and plant into that.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
It just saves a lot of grief - and sore backs and arms @Liriodendron . My back is bad enough without me actively trying to cripple myself completely! Even something about 10 or 12 inches high would make a big difference. Most plants can cope in that sort of depth of soil. Mine all vary in size and width/depth, but even the small ones give lots of scope. I'd forgotten how bad the ground was here until I dug the new pond last spring, and again this year when digging a couple of holes for other plants. When you look at the size of the hole, and the amount of material taken out, they bear no resemblance to each other.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm using raised beds in the back garden here, where the "soil" is a mixture of clay and stones, so I can grow decent vegetables. They make a world of difference. (In the front it's quite different: much better soil, so I've just added lots of compost there and it's growing shrubs & herbaceous plants pretty well.)
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
@Liriodendron -I had a Ligularia I'd grown on and it was in a standard clematis/rose pot. I decided to plant it down at the end of the pond. I took photos of the amount that came out of the hole A standard sized washing up basin and a trough of about 60 cm long and about 20 to 25 cm high
You'd think I'd dug three holes It's no joke if you have solid clay everywhere.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
In my (bitter) experience, a tiller will just bounce off the surface or get stuck fast. They just don't have the power or weight to make a dent in it. Mulch mulch mulch - slower but much easier
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Posts
On the areas where I created new borders at ground level, I stripped the turf off that was there, and put a load of manure on it over winter. I worked in a stable, so it was easy for me to get that though. The border was perfectly viable the following year. If you're unable to do the work yourself, it might be better to get someone in, just to create a few useable areas for you to start with.
I'd forget bamboo and willow too, when you have such a small space to work with. Both will become a nuisance, and even the so called clumping bamboos can spread. The willow will become a monster if it likes the site - which is highly likely. You'd just be storing up more problems for further in the future.
If you need help choosing plants, it's better to ask on here. As @Liriodendron says, plants outside shops aren't the best route to take if you don't know what they are, and what their likes/dislikes are either. A selection of shrubs - evergreen if possible, will give you a shelter belt, and make it easier for other plants to thrive. Even some standard hedging plants will do that.
The aspect of each area will help - some plants like sun, some like shade, some like damp, some like dry, so that is useful for offering suggestions.
If you have a photo of the site, that will also help
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Even something about 10 or 12 inches high would make a big difference. Most plants can cope in that sort of depth of soil. Mine all vary in size and width/depth, but even the small ones give lots of scope.
I'd forgotten how bad the ground was here until I dug the new pond last spring, and again this year when digging a couple of holes for other plants. When you look at the size of the hole, and the amount of material taken out, they bear no resemblance to each other.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
A standard sized washing up basin
and a trough of about 60 cm long and about 20 to 25 cm high
You'd think I'd dug three holes
It's no joke if you have solid clay everywhere.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Mulch mulch mulch - slower but much easier
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”