What plants can i grow in clay soil. Am having problems.

Jenny kelley

Welcome to GoY Jenny. Pieris forest flame would not be the best choice for clay soil as it prefers acid soil (tho' you could of course have it in a pot in ericaceous compost). Roses like clay soil; or you could try Hydrangeas, Viburnums, Cotinus, Eleagnus, Nandina . . in fact these are just a few shrubs of the many that you could grow.

Tell us more about the problems you're having!
(and by the way, best to delete your email address otherwise you could have unwanted messages . . )

Not sure I agree - we grow Pieris here in my area and the soil is heavy clay, so clay doesn't necessarily have to be alkaline, ours is neutral to slightly acid.

Some emendment to the soil would be a good idea though - is it the sort of clay you can make pots out of, impossible to dig most of the time, being like concrete when its dry and sticking to your fork when its wet? Or not quite as bad as that? Have you ever put any humus rich materials onto it, such as composted manures, garden compost, leaf mould, anything like that?

This is my second garden where I've grown Pieris Forest Flame in clay soil and I've never had any problem. In fact, once it got established it thrived.