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Newbuild garden with clay soil - What to plant?

wells_194wells_194 Posts: 2
in Plants
Hi everyone, garden newbie here 😊

I moved into a newbuild some months ago and starting completely from scratch with the garden, which im very excited about! Most of the garden is pretty much full on sun day to day, a bit shady on the left. I have some plants in pots and have started to set up a bed on the bottom right and pebbled the very bottom. There's just a few things that I'm hoping to make the best of but expect some things might be trial and error!

We have very heavy clay soil so I have added 3 large bags of organic matter and mixed it in as well as I can. I have a red robin, a few bushes (afraid I don't know names), a fuscia, what seems to be a dying sunflower, a large red spider looking plant but I'm not sure whether to risk putting them in the ground or where to put them etc.

I'm also considering moving the pebbled section to the right as the fence panels do not have cement blocks and I would like to do my best to avoid any rotting but at the very back, there is a layer of brick under the fence.

Thank you so much for reading my rambling, I hope that makes sense! Anyone's advice is very much appreciated, particularly ideas of what to plant as I'm so looking forward to finally having a garden of my own that I can really put my stamp on. 😊


Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Hi @wells_194. It can be a bit daunting when a garden is pretty much empty, but the best solution is to decide on how you want to use the space. Make a little list of the things you absolutely need to have - dining/seating space, washing line/whirly, play space for kids if you have them, a pond for wildlife, etc etc. If you need a space that can give you some shade for sitting, you may want to look at a pergola or screen of some kind.  Another list of things you don't like or want, is also very useful. Always do the hard landscaping first, so that you have the base of the garden in place before planting.
    How keen are you to have a lawn? Many people are getting rid of them, but if you like it [I love a bit of grass] then you may want to re shape it to give you planting areas. If so, then do some sketches of the shapes you like. 
    The planting areas can then be marked out, and you can add lots of organic matter to improve the soil structure. Clay is the best growing medium, but getting it in a good state pays dividends when you add plants. In many places, it can be heavy and waterlogged in winter, and dried out and cracked in summer. The addition of that organic matter radically improves the structure, and makes it much easier for plants to thrive. Your general climate is also a massive factor in what you plant and where.

    The plants you already have can then be put in the appropriate spots. The ones you don't know can be IDd here if you take some photos of them, including flowers, foliage etc, and that will make it easier for positioning them   :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ChezNousChezNous Posts: 40
    I also have heavy clay soil and inherited a neglected garden when we moved in a few years ago. I have a very similar layout with beds along 3 sides and grass in the centre. I have tried to improve the soil but there's a limit to how much that can be done. The things that grow well and are mature: red robins, laurels, viburnums, euonymus - perfect for an evergreen backdrop and structure. I have added peonies, helleborus, phlox, roses, clematis, dwarf lilac, fuchsia, anenome, jasmine, winter sweet and sarcococca plus (these do struggle I feel) several small flowering perennials as well as bulbs. Hope this helps.
    Late to gardening .... @cheznousgarden
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited September 2022
    @wells_194 I also garden on improved clay. Years of adding compost, grit and anything that will break up the soil. The list of lovely plants. that @cheznousbs grows will work well. Clematis however hate my soil they struggle to get roots down when it gets to the   clay.

    The problem is no plant will grow in a soil where it cannot push out it's roots. It is hard work but if you can break up a little at a time you will get air into the soil. An open soil will hold water in the summer and help with drainage in the winter. On the positive clay soil is full of nutrients.

    Don't be tempted to try plants with silver leaves as I have found, just too wet in the winter. I have wasted too much money over the years buying plants I shouldn't!
    Campanulas, hardy geraniums and pulmonarias grow well in my garden.  There are also some amazing grasses that will work. Check out Knoll Gadren's website, they are also very helpful.

    I don't think a small garden needs lots of different plants, repeating what will grow well in your soil is the best way.  This will bring your garden together.


    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • wells_194wells_194 Posts: 2
    Thank you all very much for your comments and suggestions 😊 I shall get drawing some ideas as I do want some lawn but at least I know that adding the organic matter and working it in is the best bet.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
     @wells_194 When you get drawing could I suggest some deep borders? If you just plant along the edges in narrow borders you won't get any depth to your planting. Good Luck!
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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