The soil in my garden is pure clay and is not very deep before you reach the rubble left by the builders.?

I have made a flower bed in the front garden by digging in top soil and planting a rose bush in it but can anybody tell me what other plants would do well in clay soil or what action should I take?

The soil in my garden is pure clay and is not very deep before you reach the rubble left by the builders.?
I'm in Georgia - all we have is clay. Roses, Lilies (day lily %26amp; oriental), gladiolas, zinnias, butterfly bush, crepe myrtle, balloon flower, primrose, allysum, marigolds, lantana, balloon flower, dianthus, begonia, petunia, holly, fire bush, ligustrum, coreopsis, verbena, mexican bluebell, california poppy - all seem to do well. I top dress with humus each year and I do have an irrigation system - you just want to be sure not to overwater as clay doesn't drain well. Or you could do raised beds and bring in topsoil.
Reply:Manures and organic material are good, but use gypsum as well, (farmers use it all the time in my area). It doesn't change the PH and only needs to be done annually up to 3 times. Continue with the organic material as well and after a few years your soil will be great.



In regards to plants that like clay soil, if you have a temperate climate, check out the English Internet gardening sites (eg BBC Gardening). England has a lot of areas with clay soils, and I find that plants from the right areas, love the clay in my area.
Reply:What is most likely is that the firm who built your house simply removed the top soil or most of it and sold it. This is a common 'trick' of some not so respectable building firms.



Clay is dealt with by mixing sharp sand with it and lots of compost including well rotted horse manure. It is a lot of hard work. The alternative method which us experienced allotmentiers use, is to buy in a load of top soil and blend that in. You'll have to measure the area you want covered in top-soil to a deapth of about 18 inches by the square yard. Hope you can convert that to French measurements okay.



If all of this seems a great deal of effort the other way of dealing with clay is to buy plants that like living in clay. There are plenty of them but don't ask me what exactly. Your local garden centre should be able to help or you could try gardening advice on-line.



Clay holds water for a very long time, so any plants which need a well drained soil are not going to be happy bedding down in clay.
Reply:I took out my soil and mixed in half-and-half with potting soil and put it back in.



I also bought top soil and the local landscape place. About $20 for a cubic yard.
Reply:Keep digging in plenty of peat,old tomato growbags are good.
Reply:sounds like you have taken the right approach to me, few things will grow in clay soil and the work needed can be back breaking.

go for the raised bed style, this way you can add as much as you like to get it to a good height for yourself, or use varying sizes to create 'levels'.

my own advice would be 2 ton of concrete.....no more problems ;)
Reply:Add lots of organic matter (rotted horse manure), sand and vermiculite.



You can find a list of good plants on

http://www.crocus.co.uk/plantingideas/pl...
Reply:Potatoes are brilliant for breaking up the soil.
Reply:My 'er indoors has a thing about patio tubs. So, instead of paying a fortune for potting compost, she uses Grow Bags. every couple of years, emptying them onto the flower borders. Slowly, over 10 yrs, the soil is not bad. Try also bark chippings, stop weeds in summer, break the soil down when you dig in...be patient!!!!1
Reply:remove the clay soil,long job but benificial in the end
Reply:Rebel that I am, I would be tempted to take a few square yards at a time - over the next few seasons - and dig down to the rubble layer and remove it if at all possible ....I would have ready the same volume of new soil ready to replace the rubble, and ... see if you could sell it to someone for landfill! .,... or maybe if you are going to raise a section of your garden, it could fill in behind a retaining wall and then be topped by proper soil.



but, then ... this all requires muscle ... .and not everyone wants that ..





Peace %26amp; Love
Reply:You would probably be best advised to buy in top soil to cover the clay and add lots of organic material, compost etc.
Reply:i had this problem when we bought our new home, its awe full it has taken me 5yrs to clear most of it,just dig as much out as you can,use builders course sand and put this in then put top soil in and then plant your plants. my plants are fine now, but i still have clay there,not as much now..
Reply:my dad digs his out in the fall and puts in a layer of manure. In the spring he turns it over and adds top soil and peat moss. He always has a beautiful garden.
Reply:add plenty of hummus and you will have a good soil to grow most things buy an ph tester from a garden shop and check your soil this should have alist with it telling you what will grow in your ph range