If it drains in less than 10 minutes, the soil is drought-prone and most suitable for plants that need dry or well-drained soil. If it takes 3 to 4 hours, your soil is poorly drained, due either to a large percentage of clay or an impermeable layer of minerals below the surface that blocks water movement.

Lay perforated plastic pipes in each trench, cover with a 23cm gravel layer and then replace soil and plants. Alternatively, you could substitute a 25cm layer of stone chippings, topped with 5cm of gravel for the pipes. Raising the soil level will help to improve drainage and help the soil warm up quickly in spring.

Clay soil is soil that is comprised of very fine mineral particles and not much organic material. The resulting soil is quite sticky since there is not much space between the mineral particles, and it does not drain well at all.

Amending your soil properly can overcome heavy, compacted clay and get it back on track for healthy lawn and garden growth. Adding materials such as organic compost, pine bark, composted leaves and gypsum to heavy clay can improve its structure and help eliminate drainage and compaction problems.

What’s the best grass for clay soil? The best grass for clay soil is generally a grass with a robust root system that grows deep. Since clay soil tends to be heavy and compacted, grass varieties like Zoysia, tall fescue, Bermuda, and buffalo grass are often used depending on the climate.

Make sure all weed roots, rubble, and stones are removed. You want to dig down to at least 15cm to create a firm foundation of quality topsoil required for laying turf. Clay soils retain water and this can be an issue during the wet, winter months so add some gravel or sand to assist with drainage.

The short answer is no, you can’t grow roses in clay soil. The longer answer is yes, with amendments and good growing conditions; you can grow roses in somewhat clay soil. Before getting to the fun part of choosing which rose species and varieties to grow, let’s get the growing conditions out of the way.

Just be aware that all roses need to be in a spot with about 6 hours of direct sunlight per day and they prefer morning sun. My personal favourite for clay soils is ‘Rosa Peace’. This is a beautiful rose with cream colour central petals that fade out to an elegant crimson pink.

Basically all you do is dig your hole for your Rose, place some soil conditioner into the hole (a little goes a long way- approximately 1/4 of our size bags per shrub), mix the clay in with it and break the clay up very well using your shovel, then plant your Rose as normal.

It prefers poor, dry or moderately fertile soil, including chalky and alkaline soils. Lavender will not thrive in heavy clay soil or any soil that becomes waterlogged over winter.

7 Herbs That Grow In Clay Soil

• Mint. You can expect any variety of mint to do fine in clay soil.
• Sage. Sage is another vigorous grower that quickly overtakes your garden unless you prune it regularly.
• Russian sage.
• Dill.
• Parsley.
• Fennel.
• Chives.

No. Coffee grounds are very high in acid and plants such as lavender and aloe do not benefit from them. Only use fresh grounds on acid loving plants and even then, do so sparingly.

One good potting mix for lavender contains equal parts by volume of soil, sand, perlite, and compost. Some add a few crushed egg shells to help keep a higher pH (alkaline soil) as they decompose. Fertilize sparingly.