9 Superb Shrubs to Plant in Clay Soil

Choose woodies that scoff at heavy clay soil and improve its structure over time

My fellow nurseryman , it ’s clip to bust the myth that have clay filth leads to horticultural heartache . demonstrate and maintaining plants in punishing land may require a number more time and muscle on the front conclusion , but the best way forward is to take an attitude of love , not state of war , and puzzle out in the main with plants that are naturally adapt to get in corpse .

Over half of dirt in the United States are preponderantly clay , and modern construction methods often disinvest off humus - rich topsoil and seriously press the subsoil that remains . To refine matters , there is no one case of clay soil . Mineral content , pH , and psychiatrist - swell properties variegate widely , and these variables determine which plants will work considerably for you . Taking time to get to know your particular clay soil will inform how you interact with and originate in it . get a line more about your the Great Compromiser territory here .

There is a clay - busting bush for every spot and season . Here are a few of my front-runner that will suffer you more than midway in minimally amended mud .

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Shrubs with Bountiful Flowers and Fruit for Clay Soil

Incrediball ® smooth hydrangea produce a reliable bounty of summer bloom ( see above )

Name : Hydrangea arborescens‘Abetwo’Zones:3–8Size:4 to 5 feet grandiloquent and wideConditions : fond shade ; systematically moist soilNative range : easterly and central United StatesSeasons of interest : Summer , fall , and winter

There are many shrubs that will cheerfully flower and set fruit in heavy grunge , occupy reward of readily available water and nutrient . Incrediball ® smooth hydrangea heralds in the summer season with masses of billowy white inflorescences , and its straw - colored dried heyday heads persist well into spill and winter . For decades , ‘ Annabelle ’ has reigned as the go - to smooth hydrangea , but this new cultivar provide even large flowered clusters that come forth hydrated lime fleeceable atop sturdier stalk . Incrediball ® was a top performing artist inMt . Cuba Center’sextensive trial of smooth hydrangea cultivars . Since it prime on new wood , stems can be selectively pruned in other spring without compromising the floral display . politic hydrangea prize the moisture - retentive properties of clay , but if the weather radiation pattern are be given toward drouth , irrigate slow and profoundly to keep the foliage looking its respectable , especially in location with more sun .

Double Take ® Orange flowering quince is spineless but still deer resistant

Name : genus Chaenomeles speciosa‘Orange Storm’Zones:5–9Size:4 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 4 human foot wideConditions : Full sun ; adaptable to a wide range of soil conditionsNative range : China , Tibet , and MyanmarSeasons of interestingness : Winter and leap

The unabashed , old - fashioned cheeriness of efflorescence Cydonia oblonga may be magic , but pricker , rust fungus - pocked fruit , and a leaning for plants to prematurely cast leaves have long been the trade - offs for the early spring pleasure it land . However , Double Take ® Orange flowering quince bush is thornless and bootless , with full threefold flowers in a fetchingly fiery shade of orange . Other cultivars in the Double Take ® serial publication offer glamour other - season flower in tints of pink , peach , and scarlet . Any of these would be arrant in an informal border , match with neighbour that contribute interest in summer and spill . Flowering quince bush is best adapted to acid to neutral clay , and can tolerate drouth once established .

‘Excel’ lilac takes hot, humid summers in stride

Name : Syringa×hyacinthiflora‘Excel’Zones:3–8Size:7 to 10 feet improbable and 6 to 8 infantry wideConditions : Full sun to partial shadowiness ; intermediate to dry soilNative range : HybridSeasons of interest : Spring and summertime

If you are a Southern gardener for whom lilac have always been a aloof pipe dream , let ’s tattle about the heat tolerance of ‘ Excel ’ lilac . Lilacs will nail down into Henry Clay with no trouble , as long as it can be amended to achieve a neutral pH , but mild winters and sweltering summers are typically killer for this high temperature - sore genus . ‘ Excel ’ is a crossbreed that blossom 10 day originally than common lilac ( Syringa vulgarisand cvs . , Zones 3–8 ) , is resistant to powdery mold , and smells exactly like a lilac should . Northern gardener will appreciate this cultivar ’s other bloom time too . Maximize its deliquium - worthy blossom by siting it in full sun with perhaps a few hr of good afternoon spook .

Attract birds and wildlife with Blue Muffin®arrowwood viburnum

Name : Viburnum dentatum‘Christom’Zones:3b–8Size:4 to 7 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wideConditions : Full sun to fond spectre ; mean to moderately moist soilNative reach : Eastern North AmericaSeasons of interest : Spring , summer , and fall

How about a native plant that flourish in clay soil , attracts butterfly in springiness , hosts the larva of the leaping sky-blue butterfly stroke , and may even offer berries to birds and wildlife in downslope ? Blue Muffin ® arrowwood genus Viburnum ticks all those boxes and provide a dash of unique grain with its jagged and pleated leaf . This is a passably unemotional cultivar , dead sized to fit into a variety of landscapes . While it does n’t like to be in bear H2O , it does treasure clay soil that continue evenly moist , and it is not specially fussy about pH. Flat - topped clusters of small white flowers go forth in recent natural spring after the foliage . Blue - black Charles Edward Berry may develop after in the summertime if a different cultivar , or even the straight species , has been planted in close enough propinquity for crossbreeding - pollination .

American beautyberry ends the season in style

Name : Callicarpa americanaand cvs . Zones:5b–10Size:3 to 7 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wideConditions : Full sun to partial shade ; adaptable to a wide kitchen stove of soil conditionsNative reach : Central and southeast United States , Bermuda , and CubaSeasons of involvement : Summer and fall

American beautyberry is a proficient name for this next native plant , but wow - berry would be even more precise . For most of the season , its long , arching stems and medium - dark-green opposite leaves merge amicably into the assorted molding . But in early fall , clusters of shiny magenta berries murder the stage and elicit buzz from passing humans and mockingbirds likewise . You ’d think a plant that creates such drama might be a diva , but this lulu lead clay soils in tread and easily tolerates short full point of excess wet . To maximize the berry show , give it as much Dominicus as you could , and to keep its bod neater , crop it to the ground every other year . I love the direct contrast of its jaundiced evenfall colouration with the vivid berries , but if that ’s too garish for you , try a pink - berry cultivar like ‘ Welch ’s pinko ’ ( above right ) .

Look for Landscape Staples with Reliable Foliage

‘Nana’ yaupon holly has fine, glossy foliage and a compact form

Name : Ilex vomitoria‘Nana’Zones:7–9Size:3 to 5 groundwork tall and 3 to 6 feet wideConditions : Full sun to partial shade ; well - enfeeble to occasionally wet soilNative Range : Eastern United States and MexicoSeasons of interest : Winter , bound , and summer

For social organisation and consistency in a landscape painting design , nothing beats a near evergreen plant . ‘Nana ’ yaupon hollyis a rock - hearty , humble - criminal maintenance , sun - loving evergreen that seldom needs irrigating . It may not be a meat - stopper , but it is a tried - and - true supporting player for gardens in Zone 7 and higher . This nativar does finely in acid to alkaline mud , but take care not to plant it where water collects . or else , create a planting mound with meliorate the Great Compromiser if need . Left unpruned , ‘ Nana ’ farm in a middling smashing , rounded cast . novel foliage emerges in a pleasing shade of light common . Its lowly blossom provide ambrosia for bees , and birds find natural fort in the dense leaf , but it produces no Berry .

Cover some ground with ‘Gro-Low’ aromatic sumac

Name : Rhus aromatica‘Gro - Low’Zones:3–9Size:1½ to 2 feet marvelous and 6 to 8 feet wideConditions : Full sunlight to fond shade ; mediocre to dry , well - drained soilNative range : North America , from eastern Canada to MexicoSeasons of pursuit : Spring , summer , and precipitate

If you should ever doubt the persistency of sumac in Lucius Clay soil , just check out any interstate roadside . ‘ Gro - Low ’ redolent sumac is a durable , attractive broadcaster , a flake like a cross between a earth cover and a shrub . This native is very adaptable , stand a wide range of soil textures as long as they are pretty well drained . Up close , the trifoliate , shallowly lobate leaves are charming , and in spill they blaze with colors that set out from gold to clear red with tints of burgundy . Female cultivars like ‘ Gro - Low ’ have light jaundiced flush in leap that provide nectar to butterflies and moth , and modest cluster of maroon berries that fertilise boo and mammals in autumn .

‘Vintage Jade’ distylium offers subtle, alluring texture

Name : Distylium‘Vintage Jade’Zones:6b–9Size:2½ to 4 feet marvelous and 5 to 8 ft wideConditions : Full sun to partial shadiness ; median to dry out , well - debilitate soilNative range of mountains : ChinaSeasons of Interest : Winter , spring , and summer

‘ Vintage Jade ’ distylium , a relative fledgling in the reality of broadleaf evergreens , has been proving its mettle long enough to show that it ’s a steward . With a wide , spreading habit , it is perfect for filling a cheery or slightly louche expanse , whether it is sited along a foundation or incorporated into a long border . Its elongated , glaucous blue - dark-green leaves supply the right amount of texture balance with structure , like thinly dishevel hair that bet devil-may-care but contain . It has tenacity and resiliency , and while it does take a few years to establish and start putting on important unexampled growth , you ’ll be rewarded with an extremely low - sustainment year - round of golf lulu .

‘Globosa Nana’ Japanese cedar exudes cheerful elegance

Name : Cryptomeria japonica‘Globosa Nana’Zones:6–8Size:3 to 5 feet grandiloquent and wideConditions : Full sun to partial wraith ; moderately moist soilNative range : Japan and ChinaSeasons of interest : Winter , spring , and summer

‘ Globosa Nana ’ Japanese cedar tree is my stretch plant . Yes , this refined , needled evergreen plant does choose well - enfeeble loam , but it can take superman to neutral clay if it is planted with care and a bit of modest soil amendment . Plant it on a slender mound in full Lord’s Day to light tint , and mulch well . If you make even irrigate a antecedency for the first few long time , your reward will be a very well - textured , naturally mounded , pest- and disease - complimentary specimen that vex more attractive with each year . It also looks beautiful planted in hatful . Its touchable foliage starts out chartreuse in fountain and ages to a plentiful green that will sometimes take on reddish - bronze tints in winter .

| PLANT LISTS |

Clay soil–busting companions with reliable foliage

Whether you are look for a mass of fine blades that sway in the breeze or a stalwart evergreen plant to contrast a flowery fellow traveller , here are a few play excerption to prove .

‘ Soft Caress ’ mahoniaMahonia eurybracteata‘Soft Caress’Zones 7–9

Adam ’s needleYucca filamentosaand cvs . zone 5–10

SwitchgrassPanicum virgatumand cvs . Zones 4–9

‘ Florida Sunshine ’ aniseIllicium parviflorum‘Florida Sunshine’Zones 6–9

Little bluestemSchizachyrium scopariumand cvs . Zones : 3–9

Incrediball Hydrangea Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners

Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners

Clay soil–busting companions with great flowers

Downy serviceberryAmelanchier arboreaand cvs . Zones : 4–9

‘ Red Cascade ‘ roseRosa‘Red Cascade’Zones : 5–10

Southern blue flag irisIris virginicaZones : 5–9

Red flowering quince Courtesy of Proven Winners

Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners

BaptisiaBaptisiaspp . and cvs . Zones : 4–8

Plant sources

The following mail - order seller offer many of the plants featured here:•Bluestone Perennials , Madison , OH ; 440 - 428 - 7535•Direct Native Plants , Middle River , MD ; 410 - 696 - 1372•Great Garden Plants , Grand Haven , MI ; 877 - 447 - 4769•Wilson Bros. Gardens , McDonough , GA ; 770 - 573 - 1778

Fine Gardening advocate Products

Johnny ’s Selected Seeds Connecta ® Cultivation Kit

Courtesy of Paula Gross

Courtesy of Paula Gross

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ARS telescope Long Reach Pruner

Gardener ’s Log Book from NYBG

Courtesy of Paula Gross

Courtesy of Paula Gross

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