How to improve clay soil without improving fertility?

Hi, all. We're starting on a new garden which has very fine clay soil (solid ground in summer). The land had been left for many years as a sort of meadow/field. We are planning to add horse manure to the borders but I also want an area without such rich soil for nasturtium, lavender etc. What can I do to improve the texture of the soil but at the same time, not make it too fertile?
Thank you.

 

Noting from your previous posts that you have been reclaiming your garden from natures claws , I hope you will have made good compost from the plants you have removed. I would use this , together with composted manure , for all your intended beds, including lavender. You may wish to also apply lime for the lavender if you find your soil is acidic.

 

What I have done, for lavender, is mix in a lot of the cheapest peat free compost from the supermarket and plenty of potting grit into it. (That compost feels like it's mostly straw anyway).

This was only done this year, but the lavender seems to be doing well so far, despite how wet the weather has been.

Another thing I did was plant the lavender a bit high.

 

Use a fair amount of sharp sand, I buy it from the builders merchants, not soft sand which is used for bricklaying.

It cheaper than horticultural sand or grit but does pretty much the same job.

 

Adding spent compost helps drainage without really adding any extra nutrition, but it's more about drainage for plants like lavender, so I wouldn't worry too much about adding organic matter of any kind.
I hate lavender so I don't grow it, but plenty of gardens round here have it in our clay soil. The biggest problem with it is when it grows lush in summer because it's damper here, then gets hit by autumn/winter weather, becomes woody and needs more careful cutting back, but it depends where you live as to how much that would happen.
I grow lots of plants that, in theory, like poorer soil. I use raised beds to help with drainage, but it doesn't make that big a difference being in the clay soil as such. Nasturtiums are fine in it as long as the drianage is half decent.

 

Thank you all for the advice. Sounds like it wouldn't be too diffficult to sort this patch out.

 

If you use builders sand be sure to wash it well first as it can often have salt in it. Grit, composted bark, or some of the other suggestions will all help. If it's only a small area you can use Gypsum (often sold as clay breaker). It stops clay coalesing but it's expensive which is why I wouldn't recommend trying to use it on a big area.

 

Its worth looking in skips for abandoned bags of Thistle finishing plaster which is 99% gypsum. For plastering it has a shelf life of 16 weeks so is often discarded. Just check its not solid in a lump !!

 

I've been using builders sharp sand for years and never washed it, I dont think many builders would be happy if it contained salt.

 

Have you not seen brick walls with big white stains on? Unless they specify low salt that's what you get, with ordinary sand remember where sand and gravel comes from!

 

Its not brick laying sand, and I do know what you mean but as far as I know that comes from the bricks not the mortar.

 

Errr....quarries. Often located near river banks. Not necessarily the coast

 

Efflorescence on bricks: The causes, prevention and cure

 

I'm the same as pete....cheap!
I've also used coarse sand and ballast without washing it, I get more salt from the seaweed extract I use, than a couple of hundred weight of aggregate.