Plants for Clay Soil for the Harford County Area
What is involved in preparing a design?
* During an on-site visit many questions are asked and then I listen closely to ensure that I understand my client's goals, garden skills, interests, time, and budget.
* The site is carefully measured to assess its requirements and possibilities.
* These might include contour of the land, existing plants and trees, property orientation, sun, shade, drainage, climate and microclimates, property's hardiness zone, plant hardiness and reliability, plant size, color, and texture, seasons of interest, and maintenance costs.
* I select appropriate landscaping elements and draw a design to scale (hand-drawn or computer-drawn) that is consistent with the principles of landscape design (unity, scale and proportion, color, repetition, etc.) and present it to the client for approval. This part may be repeated, if necessary.
* Landscaping elements could include trees, shrubs, vines, groundcovers, decks, patios, gates, paths, walks, walls, screens, trellises, arbors, gazebos, statuary, ponds, specimen plants and other accents.
* Digital pictures are taken of the property and I can show what the 3-dimensional design will look like when installed.
* I usually complete a design in less than one month.
* In some cases my clients wish to implement the design themselves; in others, arrangements are made with a landscape contractor to perform the work.
In this section you'll find a group of plants for planting in clay soil in the Harford County area. These plants don't require a lot of additional care once they are established. For perennials, small shrubs, and evergreens I amend the soil from the planting hole with peat moss or compost to improve moisture retention and add perlite to improve drainage. (Sand is usually recommended in books and magazine articles but it is too heavy for me.) For trees and large shrubs I don't amend the planting soil. Except as noted in the notes for each plant, they are watered every four to six weeks during droughts after being established.
With summer droughts becoming more common, I'm thinking about how we can still have lovely gardens under drought conditions and watering restrictions. I think we just need to be careful in picking the plants we use as they must be able to withstand a certain amount of drought. With some exceptions, these are the types of plants I will be adding to the recommended plants list.
Don't forget that all plants--trees, shrubs, vines, evergreens, and perennials--need to be established by watering on a regular basis during their first year or two after planting. Please see "Establishing Your Plants" in the Planting and Maintenance section of the Archives for further information.
I'll be adding more plants to this listing from time to time so stop back to learn about the new plants added. Perhaps you'll find the perfect plants for that new bed you've been thinking about making or for that bed you already have that looks bedraggled in our summer droughts.
To learn more, click on the appropriate plant grouping below.
Bulbs for Clay Soil Conifers for Clay Soil
Hollies for Clay Soil Perennials for Clay Soil
Trees, Shrubs, and Vines for Clay Soil
Plants for Clay Soil and Dry Shade
Plants for Sun and Dry Soil
Backgrounds, Design, Photographs, and Text Copyright 2000-6 Carole Novak.
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