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Clay Gardening: Perennials & Grasses |
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Expert Advice
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Heavy clay is slow to drain but high in mineral nutrients. With the addition of plenty of compost, plus coarse sand, crusher fines, Payne's Organic Soil Conditioner®, and raised beds to improve drainage, even the worst clay can be transformed over time into a yard of enchantment! Some hardy perennials recommended for Northern New Mexico's clay soils include:
- anemones (Anemone sp.)
- asters (Aster, Machaeranthera)
- beard tongues (Penstemon sp.)
- bee balm (Monarda)
- bergenia (Bergenia sp.)
- black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
- bugleweed (Ajuga)
- butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- Campanula poscharskyana
- chicory (Cichorium intybus)
- chrysanthemums
- coral bells (Heuchera sp.)
- dahlias
daylilies (Hemerocallis)
- drooping coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
- echinops
- euphorbias
- evening primrose (Oenothera sp.)
- gayfeather (Liatris sp.)
- most hardy true geraniums (Geranium sp.)
- German iris (Iris germanica)
- geums
- giant forget-me-not (Anchusa)
- golden columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha)
- goldenrod (Solidago), which does NOT CAUSE HAY FEVER, FOLKS!
Helen’s flower (Helenium sp.)
- Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium sp.)
- leopard’s bane (Doronicum)
- meadow rue (Thalictrum sp.)
- meadow sage (Salvia nemorosa)
- mints (Mentha sp.)
- perennial sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius, Helianthus x laetiflorus, Helianthus maximilianii)
- prairie coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- red hot poker (Kniphofia)
- speedwell (Veronica sp.)
- threadleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata)
Perennial grasses for clay soils include
- big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
- eulalia grass (Miscanthus sinensis)
- switch grass (Panicum virgatum)
- fountain grass (Pennisetum — not all are hardy here, so be careful)
- Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans)
- prairie cord grass (Spartina pectinata)
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