Top 10 Plants for Clay Soil

A simple soil test will tell you what kind of soil you have. Clay soil tends to drain slowly and can be difficult to grow flowers in, but these ten thrive in it.

Photo: RDA GID

Aster

A wonderful cut flower, asters make any garden explode with color at the end of the growing season. From miniature alpine plants to giants up to 6 feet tall, there are over 250 asters, with plenty of colors to choose from. Asters are a great way to brighten up the fall landscape in your backyard.

• Common Names: Aster, Michaelmas daisy.
• Botanical Name: Aster.
• Hardiness: Zones 3 to 8.
• Bloom Time: Late summer through fall.
• Size: 3 to 6 feet high (dwarf varieties are shorter).
• Flowers: Purple, white, pink, blue, and red daisy-like flowers.
• Light Needs: Full sun to partial shade.
• Growing Advice: Can be planted any time during growing season, preferably early in northern states, so cultivars can get established before winter. Plant at least 2 feet apart with the crown even with the soil surface.
• Prize Picks: For the ultimate in low-maintenance gardening, choose Purple Dome asters, which form a small, tight mass of blooms that require no pinching or staking. Alma Potschke can reach heights of 4 feet and usually need staking; its flowers are vivid pink.

Photo: RDA GID

Black-eyed Susan

If hardy and fuss-free describe your ideal flower, then black-eyed Susans are a must in your garden. These golden beauties come in a wide range of blooms so no matter what flowers you already have growing in your garden, black-eyed Susans are sure to be a great addition.

• Common Names: Black-eyed Susan, gloriosa daisy.
• Botanical Name: Rudbeckia.
• Hardiness: Varies; most are Zones 3 to 9.
• Bloom Time: Summer through fall.
• Size: 1 to 6 feet high.
• Flowers: Yellow, orange, and russet petals with black-brown or green centers.
• Light Needs: Full sun; will tolerate light shade.
• Growing Advice: Sow seeds directly in the soil in early spring or fall by scattering them on loosened soil. Potted ones transplant easily, and need ample water until established.
• Prize Picks: Popular perennials include Rudbeckia hirta and Rudbeckia fulgida; Goldsturm is a classic, prized for its beauty and durability. Rudbeckia maxima makes a statement, soaring as high as 6 feet when in full bloom.

Photo: Dutch Gardens, www.dutchgardens.com

Coreopsis

With its demure veil of jeweled blooms, coreopsis adds charm to cottage gardens and formal flower beds alike. Dainty flowers, thin stems and fine foliage disguise the fact that this plant's as tough as nails. It's also great for cutting and readily attracts butterflies.

• Common Names: Coreopsis, tickseed, butter daisy.
• Botanical Name: Coreopsis.
• Hardiness: Both annual and perennial varieties are available; zones vary by variety.
• Bloom Time: Late spring through late summer.
• Size: 8 to 48 inches high, 8 to 36 inches wide.
• Flowers: Yellow, orange, maroon, red and pink; daisy-like single, semi-double, or double blooms 1/2 to 3 inches wide. Petals are often notched.
• Light needs: Full sun.
• Growing Advice: Keep the soil around newly planted coreopsis moist, but resist the urge to over water. Check the soil first. If the top 3 inches or so are on the dry side, then you can pull out your watering can.
• Prize Picks: Perennial threadleaf varieties offer distinctive foliage and yellow flowers, and require little maintenance. Some excellent choices include: Sunray, Early Sunrise, and the pretty pastel Moonbeam. Closely related Coreopsis rosea bears pink blooms and tolerates dry conditions; it's a good groundcover for arid slopes.

Photo: Dutch Gardens, www.dutchgardens.com

Daylily

This garden favorite is cherished for its beauty, reliability and variety. With more than 50,000 named cultivars, gardeners have almost limitless choices. Blossoms last just a day, but many hybrids flower repeatedly.

• Common Names: Daylily.
• Botanical Name: Hemerocallis.
• Hardiness: Zones 3 to 10.
• Bloom Time: Early summer until first frost.
• Size: 10 inches to 4 feet high, 1-1/2 to 4 feet wide.
• Flowers: Every shade except blue and pure white.
• Light Needs: Full sun to partial shade.
• Growing Advice: Set out plants in spring or fall, with crown no more than 1 inch below the soil's surface. Divide every 3 to 5 years to revitalize and prevent crowding.
• Prize Picks: Award-winning, golden-flowered Stella d'Oro is a remarkably tough, long-blooming, and pretty choice.

Photo: RDA GID

Ferns

These plants are so popular that they have an entire society named after them. The American Fern Society is more than 100 years old and is made up of people who celebrate the 12,000+ species available today. Ferns are so versatile. You can find a plant for just about any growing condition...sun, shade, indoors or outdoors. They even grow great in clay!

• Common Names: Fern.
• Botanical Name: Various, including Ostrich fern (Matteuccia) and Cinnamon fern (Osmunda).
• Hardiness: Zones 2 to 10.
• Bloom Time: N/A; grown for foliage.
• Size: 4 to 48 inches high, 8 to 36 inches wide.
• Foliage: Various shades of green.
• Growing Advice: Does best in partial to full shade in moist, organic soil.
• Prize Picks: The Japanese Painted Fern, Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum', as fronds of silver, red, and green-very distinctive and pretty!

Photo: Park Seed, www.parkseed.com

Japanese iris

When Japanese iris begins blooming in late spring, it's difficult not to stop and admire its beauty. Irises are among the most showy and easiest to recognize of all garden flowers - and Japanese irises are no exception. It's also one of the most common beardless irises, which are generally easier to grow and more adaptable than bearded types. Choose Japanese irises for a beautiful way to welcome the summer growing season.

• Common Names: Japanese iris.
• Botanical Name: Iris ensata.
• Hardiness: Zones 4 to 9.
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer.
• Size: 3 to 4 feet high.
• Flowers: Shades of purple, wine-red, and white. Large, flat form.
• Growing Advice: These plants do well in moist, acidic soil. They are heavy feeders and should be fertilized liberally and often.
• Prize Picks: Sapphire Star is red-lavender with white accenting. Summer Moon is creamy white.

Photo: www.edhumeseeds.com

Runner bean

The runner bean is grown for its showy pea-shaped flowers. It is a twining climber, which may need to be trained up a trellis or arbor with netting or string. This vine is fast-growing and will attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your backyard garden.

• Common Names: Runner bean, Scarlet runner bean.
• Botanical Name: Phaseolus coccineus.
• Hardiness: Annual-may be grown anywhere.
• Bloom Time: Spring to summer.
• Size: Up to 8 feet high.
• Flower: Bright red.
• Light Needs: Full sun, but can tolerate some shade.
• Growing Advice: Simple to grow from seeds. Sow seeds outdoors about a week before last frost.
• Prize Picks: Dutch runner beans produce white flowers.

Photo: RDA GID

Switchgrass

This native grass is a fitting selection for wet conditions, drought, or partial shade. It grows narrowly upright, reaching 3 feet tall with drooping spikes. Purple flowers are borne in early fall that fade to golden, providing a bright color interest on bleak winter days.

• Common Names: Switchgrass.
• Botanical Name: Panicum virgatum.
• Hardiness: Zones 4 to 9.
• Bloom Time: Early autumn.
• Size: 3 to 7 feet high, 2 to 3 feet wide.
• Flower/foliage: Purple-green flowers; mid-green or metallic-blue leaves that turn yellow or reddish-purple in autumn.
• Light Needs: Full sun, though tolerant of partial shade.
• Growing Advice: Naturally tough and drought-resistant, this ornamental grass thrives in moderately fertile, well-drained soil.
• Prize Picks: Cloud Nine is tall, to 6 feet, with metallic-blue foliage topped by cloud-like plumes of reddish brown in late summer and fall. Shenandoah stays to about 3 feet and has wine-red colorations - gorgeous! Heavy Metal is stiffly upright, 3 to 5 feet tall, with metallic-blue color that becomes bright yellow in fall.

Photo: Park Seed, www.parkseed.com

Potentilla

By the time many other flowering shrubs' colorful show is all but a memory, potentilla is just beginning its long flowering season. It's a sure winner because its blooms will last until the first hard frost. Tolerant of heat, drought, clay and sandy soils, potentillas create a lasting impression.

• Common Names: Potentilla, bush cinquefoil.
• Botanical Name: Potentilla fruitcosa.
• Hardiness: Zones 2 to 7.
• Bloom Time: Late spring to first frost.
• Size: 1 to 4 feet high, 2 to 4 feet wide.
• Flowers: Yellow, white, orange, and red.
• Growing Advice: Position container-grown plants 2-1/2 to 3 feet apart for hedges or mass plantings.
• Prize Picks: Gibson Scarlet is a favorite for its vivid red flowers. Yellow Queen has semi-double blooms over silver-gray foliage.

Photo: RDA GID

Viburnum

Among the most popular of ornamental shrubs and small trees, the viburnum is sought after for three reasons - it's beautiful, it's versatile, and it's easy to grow. What's more, thre are three prime features that contribute to the year-long beauty of the viburnum - the flowers, the leaves and the colorful fruits it produces. If you don't already grow this showpiece, now's the time to start - it'll triple your pleasure outdoors.

• Common Name: Virburnum.
• Botanical Name: Viburnum.
• Hardiness: Zones 3 to 9.
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer.
• Size: 4 to 30 feet high.
• Foliage: Varies from shiny to leathery textures of green - turning yellowish-orange or reddish purple in fall.
• Light needs: Full sun to partial shade.
• Growing Advice: Ample and consistent moisture is the only continuing requirement for a healthy viburnum. That means about an inch of water a week during the growing season. Some pruning is necessary to maintain good looks.
• Prize Picks: Doublefile (Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum), considered by some to be the world's most beautiful flowering shrub, boasts horizontally tiered branches, which blooms with white flower clusters resembling lace caps. The snowball viburnum is Viburnum x carlcephalum; its big, ball-like flowers are deliciously scented. Viburnum dentatum Blue Muffin is a smaller, more compact plant (to 5 feet tall) with flattened flowerheads.