Plants for Difficult Soil Conditions > National Home Gardening Club

BY: NHGC

If your soil has too much sand or clay, never fear--you can still grow beautiful plants that tolerate those conditions. In addition to the plants mentioned on pages 48 and 50 of our January/February 2005 issue, here are others to add to your list.

Plants for sandy soil

If your soil is sandy, choose plants well adapted to sandy soil conditions. Use a slow-release fertilizer for these plants, and mulch to limit water evaporation and extreme temperature fluctuations.

Alpine poppy (Papaver alpinum) Zones 5 to 8
Bachelor's buttons (Centaurea cyanus) annual
Chinese plumbago (Ceratostigma willmottianum) Zones 6 to 9
Hairy penstemon (Penstemon hirsutus) Zones 3 to 9
Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) Zones 4 to 7
Northern bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) Zones 3 to 6
Red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) Zones 3 to 9
Rock rose (Cistus) Zones 9 to 10
Swan river daisy (Brachyscome iberidifolia) annual
Tricolor garden sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Tricolor') Zones 7 to 8
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Zones 3 to 9
Wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) Zones 4 to 9

Plants for clay-heavy soil
Clay soil can frustrate even the most patient gardener, but here are some plants that tolerate it.

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) Zones 5 to 10
Calliopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) annual
Clasping coneflower (Rudbeckia amplexicaulis ) annual
Common rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) Zones 5 to 10
Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) Zones 7 to 9
Flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica) Zones 5 to 8
Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra') Zones 4 to 9
Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum maculatum) Zones 3 to 9
Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) Zones 7 to 10
Quamash (Camassia leichtlinii) Zones 4 to 10
Showy stonecrop (Sedum spectabile) Zones 4 to 9
Strawberry shrub (Calycanthus floridus) Zones 5 to 9
Swordleaf inula (Inula ensifolia) Zones 4 to 9

Comments

By ruby2sday Tuesday, April 17, 2012 5:45 PM

I live in the cold desert of NW Nevada. My soil is mostly clay and gravel with large rocks thrown in for excitement. It has zero vegitable matter, zero Nitrogen, zero Potassium, and barely adequate Phosphorus, a pH of 8.5, and significant sodium. Extensive Hardpan starts from 6 to 12 inches below the surface. The subsoil moisture lasts until about September in years that receive adequate rainfall. Native plants are hop sage, salt brush, ephedra, indian rice grass, and a few other throny bushes (soil is too dense and poor for big sage brush or juniper trees). About all I can get to grow without intensive agriculture techniques is Russian Olive trees, Buffalo Berry bushes, and crab apples.

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Current Articles \| Archives \| Search Plants for Difficult Soil Conditions BY: NHGC 1 If your soil has too much sand or clay, never fear--you can still grow beautiful plants that tolerate those conditions. In addition to the plants mentioned on pages 48 and 50 of our January/February 2005 issue, here are others to add to your list. Plants for sandy soil If your soil is sandy, choose plants well adapted to sandy soil conditions. Use a slow-release fertilizer for these plants, and mulch to limit water evaporation and extreme temperature fluctuations. Alpine poppy (Papaver alpinum) Zones 5 to 8 Bachelor's buttons (Centaurea cyanus) annual Chinese plumbago (Ceratostigma willmottianum) Zones 6 to 9 Hairy penstemon (Penstemon hirsutus) Zones 3 to 9 Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) Zones 4 to 7 Northern bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) Zones 3 to 6 Red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) Zones 3 to 9 Rock rose (Cistus) Zones 9 to 10 Swan river daisy (Brachyscome iberidifolia) annual Tricolor garden sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Tricolor') Zones 7 to 8 Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Zones 3 to 9 Wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) Zones 4 to 9 Plants for clay-heavy soil Clay soil can frustrate even the most patient gardener, but here are some plants that tolerate it. Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) Zones 5 to 10 Calliopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) annual Clasping coneflower (Rudbeckia amplexicaulis ) annual Common rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) Zones 5 to 10 Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) Zones 7 to 9 Flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica) Zones 5 to 8 Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra') Zones 4 to 9 Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum maculatum) Zones 3 to 9 Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) Zones 7 to 10 Quamash (Camassia leichtlinii) Zones 4 to 10 Showy stonecrop (Sedum spectabile) Zones 4 to 9 Strawberry shrub (Calycanthus floridus) Zones 5 to 9 Swordleaf inula (Inula ensifolia) Zones 4 to 9 Comments By ruby2sday Tuesday, April 17, 2012 5:45 PM I live in the cold desert of NW Nevada. My soil is mostly clay and gravel with large rocks thrown in for excitement. It has zero vegitable matter, zero Nitrogen, zero Potassium, and barely adequate Phosphorus, a pH of 8.5, and significant sodium. Extensive Hardpan starts from 6 to 12 inches below the surface. The subsoil moisture lasts until about September in years that receive adequate rainfall. Native plants are hop sage, salt brush, ephedra, indian rice grass, and a few other throny bushes (soil is too dense and poor for big sage brush or juniper trees). About all I can get to grow without intensive agriculture techniques is Russian Olive trees, Buffalo Berry bushes, and crab apples. Post Comment Only registered users may post comments.