Clay soil is a real challenge for many plants. It has difficulty absorbing water and is poor in nutrients and oxygen. Nevertheless, there are many plants that feel right at home in loamy soil. Either plant plants that love clay soil or prepare your clay soil accordingly so that other plants can also grow here. Below you will find out which plants tolerate clay soil and how you can spice up your clay soil for other plants.
Which plants tolerate clay soil?
Plants compatible with clay soil are barberry, privet, thuja, hornbeam, linden, dogwood, ornamental cherry, phlox, sunbeam, suneye, roughleaf aster, bergenia, Chinese meadow rue, candlestick knotweed, cranesbill, glories and autumn Monkshood. Before growing vegetables, you should loosen the clay soil with plenty of sand, humus or compost.
Clay soil-loving hedges and shrubs
| Name | Location | Flower color | Flowering time | Growth height | Winter hardiness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barberry | Sunny to partially shaded | Golden yellow, red fruits | May to June | 0, 5 to 3m | Good hardy |
| Privet | Undemanding, sunny to shady | White, black, slightly poisonous fruits | May to June | 1, 5 to 4, 5m | Well hardy, evergreen |
| Thuja | Sunny, partial shade or shady | Inconspicuous | April to May | Depending on the subspecies up to 5, 10 or 20m | Very hardy |
| hornbeam | Not very demanding | Inconspicuous, yellow | May to June | Up to 25m | Good hardy |
| Linde | Summer linden tree partially shaded or sunny, winter linden tree partially shaded to shady | Inconspicuous | May to July | Depending on the species up to 15 or 40m | Very hardy |
| Dogwood | Sheltered, partially shaded | White, yellow or pink | May to June | Up to 3m | Good hardy |
| ornamental cherry | Full sunny | Pink | March to May | 7 to 10m | Good hardy |
Perennials that like clay soil
| Name | Flower color | Flowering time | hardy |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Flame Flower | Pink, white, purple, red | June to September | Yes |
| Sun Bride | Orange-yellow | July/August | Yes |
| Suneye | Yellow | June to September | Yes |
| Raublatt-Aster | Pink | September to October | Yes |
| Bergenie | Red, pink | Spring and Autumn | Yes |
| Chinese Meadow Rue | Violet | July to September | Yes |
| Candle Knotweed | Red | August to October | Yes |
| Storksbill | White or purple | May to June | Yes |
| Magnificent Piers | Different colors | May to June | Yes |
| Autumn Monkshood | Blue to violet | September to October | Yes |
Planting vegetables in clay soil
Fruits and vegetables need lots of nutrients to thrive and bear fruit. Therefore, clay soil is generally unsuitable for growing fruit and vegetables. So if you want to grow vegetables in your loamy soil, you should prepare it accordingly.
loose up clay soil
So that plants other than those mentioned above can grow on the clay soil, you should loosen it up. To do this, dig a lot, really a lot, of sand and humus or compost under the ground and mix everything well.