What Flowers Grow in Clay?
If you are an experienced gardener, or a novice that is trying to grow some pretty flowers in your little kitchen garden, dealing with clay soil can be an arduous and challenging experience, especially for beginners. Though clay soil can be difficult to cope with, the flip side of this situation is that it is any day better than having to deal with sandy or chalky soil, where nothing would grow. Hence, clay soil can be managed effectively, and can help you grow some pretty flowers, if you understand how.
Let us first examine what flowers grow in clay. Roses grow and thrive in clay soil, since they are naturally suited for this environment. Since they have strong, sturdy roots that are able to penetrate the clay soil and draw nourishment from the same this is the ideal environment for them to thrive. The clay soil provides rich nutrients and allows the rose plants to root themselves well and tethers them firmly against rain and wind, providing them a ready supply of water and moisture from the clay soil.
Let us now examine, besides roses, what flowers grow in clay, and what are the challenges therein. This is not an easy challenge, but if clay soil is prepared and treated with organic matter such as compost, is well drained and fertilized, it will support the flower-bearing plants that you sow, and allow you to reap rich harvests of flowers of multihued varieties. The structure of the clay soil is such that it contains tiny particles that have large spaces for storage of water.
Water that gets absorbed in these spaces causes the stickiness of clay soil. Therefore, it is not wise to work on clay soil when it is moist or wet since it hardens and is difficult to work with, and does not allow the roots to penetrate. This can be tackled by mixing steam cinders, organic manure and wood ashes with the clay soil. With regards to chemical fertilizers, it is recommended to bear in mind that it is necessary to supply the clay soil with mineral elements which will support plant life.
Nitrate of soda is the only chemical fertilizer which is clearly not recommend as this has adverse effects on the clay soil, in that it tends to make it greasy/sticky. Also to note is that clay soil is variable in its degree of acidity, so if you are unsure of degree of acidity, you will need to get the soil tested and ascertain what measures to take to bring about balance here.
Now that we have understood the features of clay soil, we will examine more closely what flowers grow in clay, once the soil is prepared in the aforementioned manner. Here are a list of flowering plants that grow well in clay soil that is managed well. Also, plants with tap roots can reach deep levels of clay soil and survive well.
Listed below as follows:
- Amsonia Blue Star
- Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly Weed
- Aster (various) Aster
- Coreopsis Tickseed
- Echinacea purpurea Coneflower
- Eryngium yuccifolium Sea Holly
- Helianthus angustifolius Swamp Sunflower
- Helianthus x laetiflorus False Sunflower
- Heliopsis helianthoides Ox Eye
- Hemerocallis Daylily
- Liatris pycnostachya Kansas Gayfeather
- Liatris spicata Blazing Star, Gayfeather
- Monarda fistulosa Wild Bee Balm
- Ratibida pinnata Drooping Coneflower
- Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed Susan, Gloriosa Daisy
- Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’