info@allyeargarden.com

sweet violets

Speaking of affinities and natural balance, the violets started blooming. It feels like they’re sprouting right under my nose, I took a couple of pictures of their cheerful little clumps, took a walk around the garden and five minutes later when I returned I swear there were twice as many. If you’re looking for plants that thrive in clay soil they are the perfect candidate.

The garden is full of daffodils, they’re everywhere, my patient bulb plantings over many falls finally paid off.

That’s another thing about thriving gardens, they don’t happen gradually. They take many years of patience, labor and love to mature and when they finally get established they emerge from the ground fully grown one spring without any tentativeness or fragility.

Since I mentioned clay soil, here are a few candidates that will never disappoint:

  • hostas. Yes, I know they’re common but they really like clay and they will never fail you.
  • hellebores. No sunshine, no hummus, no water? No problem.
  • sedums. They’ll grow where you plant them, but they really shine if they have reasonable sun exposure.
  • brunera. It likes clay so much it will become invasive. Don’t plant it in full sunshine, it gets scorched in July and looks really unattractive.
  • sage and asters. Just add sunshine.
  • bugleweed and plumbago. Very pretty and reliable long flowering groundcovers. Colorful fall foliage too.
  • goldenrod. Will spread aggressively.
  • cone flowers, black eyed susans and daisies. For full sun areas that get very hot in the summer.

Comments are closed.