COPING WITH CLAY
Clay soils are both a blessing and a curse. They hold nutrients and water well but take a long time to warm up in spring, can bake dry in summer and can be back-breaking to work!
But there are lots of plants that are happy on clay, taking the rough with the smooth and enjoying the rich living when it comes. It’s a long list – alchemilla, asters, and astrantia should do well, and so on down the alphabet. But for a real eye-catcher, plant sweet gum, Liquidambar styraciflua. With palmate leaves and unrivalled autumn colour, it’s a joy to behold! And for a hardworking shrub in a prominent spot, it’s hard to beat Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’. In winter, it throws out masses of pink, scented flowers that add life to a border, following up with summer berries and bright autumn foliage.