By Bramhallbill
Cheshire,
United Kingdom 
I watered newish plugs last night as it was so dry. And it rained like crazy overnight.
I have gone into rip out crocosmia mode but the soil looks really poor. It drains well. I will be adding Iris, Night Stocks, Agapanthus, Penstomon to the border. I have well established trees & bushes, variegated wigelia , amelanchier, geraniums, rhodo,honeysuckle,peony, tree peony,old plumb tree, small apple tree, hydranger, Italian conifers, big rosemary & a few others....point is they are doing ok but where there gaps or crocosmia thats on its way out I will need to add compost & peat. I have areas where the soil is absolutely shot....Vinca & Giant pink geraniums fight......Vinca is going to be dug out one day...I just had a sprig......Would I get shot if I throw soil in the bin?
19 Jul, 2014
Answers
Hi, there is no need to throw any soil in the bin, just add whatever you intend to add, and incorporate into the soil by forking it in, I would use garden compost, well rotted manure etc, rather than peat, and then maybe add a little growmore before replanting the area, Derek.
19 Jul, 2014
Funny my pinks are in well drained soil. It has rained a lot & there is n't standing water anywhere. We have very high trees at the back(false acacia), a fence, wall ,laurel hedge, path & bed. Dizzy if you look up.....I used all my soil improver, 4X,manure.
A very tall Sorbus Vilmorinni abt 16ft high, Vibernum b, dawn, tiny Rho, a pile of vinca & giant geraniums (wooded pink perfumed) & pink.....area as dry as a bone
19 Jul, 2014
But throwing the soil away won't make the remaining soil any damper. You just need to keep adding more humus as the others have said. Are your plants actually suffering from the dryness?
19 Jul, 2014
A bed of foxgloves died in the dryness...by a fence under trees...too dry I guess.Some were a foot high then they just went
I had a robins nest in the fence ....covered by ivy......the nest broke....& I can still hear the birds but I doubt if they are still in mine.....i left the area to see if they would rebuild.....sad really.......
...some plants grow regardless.....there are many that just appear.....
Day lilies grow in really dry conditions
20 Jul, 2014
Well in my area we cannot put soil/rubble in our garden bin. But my local dump will take it.
Make more of a feature of it -have you thought of growing poor soil plants in that area such as Dianthus deltoides pinks/carnations, Nasturtium, Liatris spicata, Cosmos. there are over 230 photos of poor soil plants on Goypeadia. I love my poor soil plants as they do well and make a great contribution to problem areas.
19 Jul, 2014