Clay soil can be quite a challenge for gardeners. But, thankfully, there are many plants to choose from that actually thrive in it. Here is a collection of many clay-friendly plants:
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1. Weigela
Sonic Bloom® Punch
Its blooms are a rich, punch-pink color and absolutely cover the foliage in the springtime. It takes a brief rest in early summer and reblooms through late summer and into fall. When blooms aren’t obscuring its foliage, you’ll see it has a pretty bronze tint. Dress up the middle of your border with this prolific bloomer!
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2. Smooth hydrangea
Incrediball® Blush
Bigger, blusher, better!
Incrediball® hydrangeas are beloved for their stout stems and massive blooms. Incrediball® Blush hydrangea adds a new color to the series – a beautiful silvery-pink. This hydrangea combines the rock-solid reliability of the classic ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea with the improved stem strength and enormous flowers. Continuous bloomer. No deadheading. Native to North America.
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3. Rose of Sharon
Blue Chiffon®
It has the same vigorous growth and lacy blooms as the rest of the Chiffon® series, but with a shocking blue color. Each is adorned with a lacy center to create an anemone-like bloom. Bold yet delicate, Blue Chiffon® is a star in the garden from late summer to fall. The distinctive flower color complements many late summer perennials.
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4. Hosta
Shadowland® ‘Autumn Frost’
This striking Hosta forms a medium sized mound of showy, frosty blue leaves with extra wide, bright yellow margins. The margins lighten to creamy white and light lavender flowers are produced in summer.
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5. Salvia
Color Spires® ‘Back to the Fuchsia’
This colorful perennial produces fuchsia pink flowers spikes atop the neatly mounded, aromatic foliage. Lovely when planted in drifts. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds with fragrant flowers and foliage.Â
6. Potentilla
Happy Face® Yellow
Big, bright flowers make this potentilla anything but dull! Happy Face® Yellow potentilla offers extra-large, bright yellow flowers, and lots of them. Blooming non-stop from spring to frost, this super durable plant will put a smile on your face! Needs little maintenance and is highly deer resistant. Continuous blooming. Native to North America.Â
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7. Stonecrop
Rock ‘N Round® ‘Popstar’
This low maintenance perennial sedum will be the star of the late summer garden. Blue-green foliage forms a dense, compact, mounded habit. Salmon pink flowers. Fall & winter interest. Drought tolerant. Attracts bees & butterflies.
8. Daylily
Rainbow Rhythm® ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears’ Â
Massive six-inch, raspberry-red flowers are complemented by a wide rosy-pink eye that leads to a yellow throat. A thin white margin edges each petal. Continuous blooming. Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Rabbit resistant.Â
9. Goatsbeard
‘Chantilly Lace’
A part-shade loving perennial that produces beautiful sprays of lacy, cream-colored flowers. A similar look to Astilbe, but more drought tolerant. Deer resistant. Native to North America.
10. Perennial Salvia
Color Spires® ‘Azure Snow’Â
This colorful perennial produces deep violet-blue and white bicolor flower spikes atop the neatly mounded, aromatic foliage. Lovely when planted in drifts. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Deer and rabbit resistant.
11. Elderberry
‘Lemony Lace’
A bright and stylish plant with an easy-going nature.
Lemony Lace® offers finely dissected foliage in a cheery gold color that really lights up your landscape. This North American native produces big clusters of white flowers in early spring before the foliage emerges, then bright yellow leaves take over, edged in red. As the foliage ages, it turns an attractive chartreuse. Though it is a large plant, it can be pruned to stay smaller if you’d like. Low maintenance. Deer resistant.
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12. Rose Mallow
Summerific® ‘Evening Rose’
Huge, eight-inch, hot pink flowers cover a round, dense shrub of almost black foliage. A must-have statement piece for your garden! Attracts bees and hummingbirds. Resists deer. Native to North America.                                                                                                                                                             Credit: Proven Winners
