Since my main focus in the garden are perennial plants, many people have asked me what kind of soil perennnials like best. Most perennials grow best in humus-rich soil that has a relatively even balance of clay, sand and silt particles. This perfect soil is called LOAM, and it is perfect for perennials. It has the ability to hold moisture for a good amount of time, yet it drains fairly quickly, so it's not soggy. (As a rule, perennials don't like soggy conditions). I had divided some of my iris this year, and I was planting some in my daughter's yard. I had never really worked with clay soil, but I'll tell you, I thought I had hit some cement! If you have the unfortunate luck to have a clay soil, you'll need to amend the soil with things to make it as close to loam as possible. Some things you can add are well-rotted manure, peat moss, decomposed kitchen waste, seaweed, sawdust, wood chips, pine needles, leaf mold, straw (although I don't like working with straw--it's very messy), or hay. If you compost, the compost pile is a super source of humus. With that said, there are certain perennials that tolerate heavy clay soils. Some that I have that I know do well are:
- Bee Balm
- Coneflower
- Daylily
- Foxglove
- Goatsbeard
- Valerian
- Hardy Aster
- Lady's Mantle
- Leopard's Bane
- Meadow Rue
- Mist Flower
- Purple Loosestrife
- Ragwort
- Saxifrage
- Solomon's Seal
- Windflower
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