[wilbzfishing]

Hi all
I really need some advice on what plants I can grow, the edge of our garden, is next to footpath which is next to a road, the soil is very dry and quite clay.  It also gets splashes of salt from the road, during the winter months
Thanks

[Goosegirl]

Firstly, let us know how wide your planting area is, what direction it faces - i.e. how much sun it gets and when, whether your soil is acid or alkaline, do you want annuals or perennials, what style of garden you want such as formal, cottage or whatever, if you want some winter colour, and whether you want a hedge to help keep the salt spray off. You could have a hedge using Griselina (evergreen) which can tolerate salt sprays. Also, a selection of dogwoods with their brilliantly-coloured winter stems of blackish-purple, green, yellow, red and orange which you cut right down in spring so the summer's new growth gives you the best colours over winter. Whatever you decide on, get some mushroom compost, well-rotted manure or whatever compost you can lay your hands on, plus some sharp grit/sand to help with drainage and dig it right in, then add some more manure/compost on top. All this will help with water retention. Clay soils tend to be nutrient-rich so that's a plus. Once you have given us some ideas, we can come back and give you some ideas.