trees not thriving

Hi All,
I have two Holly trees and one red leaf beech tree that I planted three years ago at the front of the house, which is north facing, and the soil is heavy and doesn't often dry out but it isn't boggy. The trees aren't growing very much at all, I imagine it's the soil that's the problem and was wanting advice on how to improve the soil's condition, I thought of digging out what's there and putting in some newly made compost and some ash from the wood burning fire we have. Could some knowledgeable person confirm this is the right thing to do or suggest some other course of action please. Many thanks, Vera.

 

I have a holy hedge that I planted two years ago , very little growth I think it just takes time for them to settle in , mine are in full sun up to about 1ish depending on the time of year, the variety is margenata , which I think naturaly grows slower as I have a Madame Briot that has romped away and is easily 4 feet higher than the others I also plated two Blue price (male) to help polinate , I would personaly give them a good feed with bonemeal in the spring you have to remember your is a North facing garden as well on top of all that



What variety are they ?



Spruce

 

Hi veraveg

Adding well-rotted organic matter to a clay soil is one of the best ways of improving it's drainability. Clay soils are actually the most nutrient rich, as the water that is in them does not drain away easily and therefore does not wash away important minerals required by the tree for growth. It's also a good way of aerating the soil, decompacting it and breaking up and heavy clods of earth. Beech trees prefer well drained, slighly calcified soil, and may not do so well in waterlogged, heavy soil. They also really need to strike up a beneficial relationship with mycorrhizal fungi in order to maximise water and nutrient uptake. Holly can tolerate almost all soil types and is shade tollerant.