Yes you can improve the soil but it takes a few years of adding mulch and organic material - it's very hard to do as a single job and it's finished. Trees and shrubs are actually often OK with clay, it's things with light roots - annual flowers and some perennials - that don't cope with it. I have clay soil and I have juniper, lonicera nitida, some pine and holly all growing happily.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Thank you this is helpful! We were hoping for tall stuff as we have lots of windows looking in from that side, which is why we built that flower bed where it is on that side of the garden to try and create high shrubs and trees
Consider whether it really needs to all be evergreen - do you spend very much time out there in winter? If not, there are lots of lovely plants like amelanchier, magnolia, philadelphus, cotinus and viburnum that will grow well and give you summer cover and spring and autumn colour.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
If it's a new build, are you sure the builders haven't put a soak-away in there? Sometimes that can create a wet patch, especially after a lot of rain. I agree a raised bed might be the answer. Maybe not a wooden framed one though, as the wet would rot the bottom quickly. And it would need to be quite deep so the plant roots didn't reach the soggy stuff too quickly. Alternatively you could put down slabs and have pots. A large square pot (less prone to toppling over) with a bamboo like Fargesia Nitida (no runners, evergreen, grows to about 2 metres tall) would work.
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I have clay soil and I have juniper, lonicera nitida, some pine and holly all growing happily.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”