Planting in dug up heavy clay
thedjjj
Posts: 84
Hi,
OK so I have a narrow border 15cm wide round the whole lawn. this was covered in a 2inch layer of gravel on top of landscape fabric. I have removed all the gravel,fabric, and loosened up the heavy clay underneath to a foot deep.
I will be doing a ph test this morning as I suspect it's acid soil, but I'm wondering what I should actually do next ?
should I;
1. Dig in 8 inch of organic matter (and lime if needed) now
2. Leave the clay broken up for the frost to break it up and dig in organic matter in spring
And then planting up after either above.
My concern is that I have inherited a pretty bad horsetail problem, and I'm worried that leaving bare soil open will enable the horsetail to strengthen without competition?
On the other hand I'm led to believe that enriching the soil will stop the horsetail from thriving, given it was one of the first plants to reemerge after a volcano has decimated the land. I also think the previous gravel and fabric was causing that to thrive also. Now that's removed I'm hoping that will help.
So what should be my next step ? Dig in organic matter now or wait til spring ? Any other action I should take ?
Ill post some photos below when I get back out there this morning. Thanks !
Posts
Heres an overview - hopefully you can also see there is a patch of very awkward land which I have dug out a cammelia, sorbaria, a rose and some other rubbish (weeds) this is awkward as the land lies sloped into the patch, causing a bit of a Sump.
The plan with that area is to either plant a tree - or put a raised bed there. The tree should help with drainage up there, theres a lot of moss and damp up there so drainage seems to be an issue.
Close up of the border (I have since uncompacted that)
Can't think of anything you could grow in a six inch border that won't overhang the grass.. I think your first idea of gravel was the best..
I would put about 4 inches of compost on it and leave it until about Valentine's day so the worms can get to work. Then dig it over and leave it again for the frost to get into. And then around Easter think about planting climbing roses (they love clay) or possibly cordon apple trees (also love clay). Mulch heavily again when you've put the plants in to inhibit the mare's tail as much as possible. This time next year put in a lot of spring to summer flowering bulbs. Be diligent with hand weeding for the next couple of years and it'll become less weedy eventually.
If you make a raised bed, will you widen it a bit? That would make a non-cordon tree a bit easier. But the bed will need a 'back' to keep the soil off the fence so a raised bed only as wide as that strip will probably be too narrow to be usable for much.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Trees that love clay soils;- magnolia, amelanchier, eucryphia, all the roses and that family (as said, so that's cherries, ornamental and otherwise, crab apples, plums et al), conifers, the list goes on. However, as also said, organic matter into the clay is excellent to improve drainage in winter and water retention in summer (so the clay doesn't bake). Horsetail loves clay and it's brittle, so it won't take being pulled up. Clever little tinker. However, it doesn't like like it when you bruise the stems and wipe weedkiller on it. Much as I hate using chemicals, sometimes there is an exception. Hand digging each emerging stem will weaken it and they'll get fewer and fewer, I promise!
H-C
Thanks for the replies,
hogweed - I'm not fussed if they hang over the grass. Would blueberries do any good there ?
raisingirl - I can make that area as big as needed for a raised bed. It would be nice to be able to grow some food there but I'd also like something tall to screen above the fence (the view is a bit ugly to be honest !) and I thought that may help with drainage.
Thanks H-C for the list of trees. I'll take a look at those. We love roses but I've had a tough time growing them before without them getting black spot.
So it's best to dig in the organic matter now then wait to plant til spring ?
So as you can see, that whole shaded block at the back - full of moss, frogs and weeds. its now 2pm UK so this area id consider full shade .. really struggling to think whether to dig the whole area and border it against the grass or raised bed it (not sure what would grow in it though being shaded)
nightmare area !
I wouldn't attempt to dig the organic matter in, to be honest. If you can manage to be patient, putting it in a good thick layer on the surface will be better for stopping the weeds and you'll end up with a better texture. If you leave it for a few months for the worms to work it in, it'll be easier to dig it properly. And in the dead of the year in February when we usually get the most frost and fewest weed seeds about, the risk of new weeds getting a foothold is lowest and the benefit of exposing the soil the greatest.
Sour cherries are reputed to grow in shade. I've not tried it. Raspberries are happy in shade too, though they may need a lighter root run so a raised bed could be a good idea.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Looks like there is plenty of room to widen the borders and make a more interesting garden. That's what I would do.
Thanks - yes having thought about it last night I think I'll try and remove the border kerbstones as now I've removed the gravel they aren't needed. That should open the garden up a bit more.
I decided to plant two varieties of viburnum at the back in the end, tinus and lisarose. If I can remove the kerb that should give plenty of room for their roots. I've got a load of organic farmyard manure and strulch coming also. should keep me busy for a while !
Update:
so now being spring, im about ready to plant in this area:
Sorry about the orientation it keeps rotating it !
Lots of Composted manure has been dug in to that area to improve the bogginess. The clay in there is very thick and heavy.
theres a big space at the back for planting aswell
I started to compile a shopping list, i am tempted to open the border an extra foot or so round the edge (in line with the stepping stone bottom right)
this will be more work and delay things, bit is it worth it ? It can I get away with planting in that border as it is ?
The colour scheme id like is pastels - pinks, purples, whites, blues.
on my list I have;
persicaria
primula beesiana
anemone 'September charm'
geranium (a few; Mavis Simpson - and some for the shady area at the back top right, Balkan and dusky cranesbill off the top of my head ? which get a little sun at the very edge)
Bverbena
aster New England
echinacea
penstemon hewell pink
potentilla
bergenia
Crambe cordifolia
msybe some climbing ivy fir the shady back fence ?
these are just some ideas, totally open to suggestions on what might work better in that areaand fir the soil type.
I also like forget me nots and cordyalis (Beth something?) as a colour combo.
thanks !
Last edited: 25 March 2017 07:47:17