Help

Hello there
I have just recently joined the site and I am so much enjoying it and nervous too but everyone has been so welcoming. I signed up under F.A.Q
I don't know if that was right as thinking now i need advice on my garden and don't know if I should go back to FAQ
Anyway, seeing as I am here I'll carry on.
I have just cleared the garden after a lot of work to the house It is now a totally blank canvas. I have a boarder but it spends alot of time in the shade and i need to fill it not only with plants but with earth aswell.The soil that is in there at the moment is clay.I've been told that is not a good start So I was wondering how do I prepare my boarders ready to plant.
Look forward to replies
Many thanks
Love Sweetpea

 

Sweetpea your doing fine - and having a blank canvas as a garden is marvellous, just make sure you have a clear idea of what you want it to look like and be at the end.

Clay is fine - I garden on clay, and its highly nutritious for plants - problem is its heavy to work. But if you dig in lots of organic matter, it will become workable - by organic matter, could be well rotted horse manure, your own compost - or even fine grit to break it up.

In respect of your shady border - there's lots of plants and shrubs that will tolerate shade - hostas, painted ferns, mahonia, geraniums, astilbe, even hebes will tolerate it.

 

The other tip - take your time. I didn't and am still regretting some of my choices of plants and their positions. Having to keep moving established shrubs is a reall bore.

 

Hi Sweetpea and welcome. Clay is great stuff and makes the very best garden soil - eventually. My advice is to think and plan during this summer. Keep your border weed free and then in the autumn get digging. You need to turn over your clay and expose it to the frost in big lumps. Add grit and well rotted farmyard or stable compost. Stable compost is less smelly and you can often get it free or very cheaply from stables everywhere. Come the spring, your clay will be well on its way to becoming rich crumbly soil and then you can start planting Good luck and have fun!

 

We had very heavy clay in Wales, what we did was dig in kitchen food compost and sharp sand, before long we were growing all manner of plants in the parts we'd treated

 

I have had the same problem in my garden and having lived in the house for 3 years now feel that I've dug it over forever! In saying that I have only ever added chicken manure to it so I suppose I can add some grit this year too.It seems to have 2 stages - wet and sticky ot hard as bricks! Anyway can anyone tell me if it's better to remove stones whilst turning over ? I did this yesterday and founds loads of them sitting on top this morning (perhaps I have a phantom stone thrower over the fence??)

 

There is some stuff called "Super Dug" which is a great soil conditioner. http://www.compost-technology.co.uk/cart.php - quite expensive though

I used it a lot when we moved in and it does work. You lay it on the surface of your clay and the worms do the work for you by dragging it down into the soil and aerating it at the same time. Now all I do is add garden compost as a mulch in the autumn and throw handfulls of pelleted chicken manure around the roses and geraniums in the spring. I NEVER dig at all now.