[tesni]

calling it a front garden would be pushing it - it's a bare patch of about 10ft by 17ft.     It was until yesterday a weed patch - it is now cleared with weed control membrane and bark chippings.  It is still an eyesore that needs prettying up.  The soil is heavy clay - pots of plants spring to mind but the patch is totally unenclosed and I fear that pots could be too easily stolen.  I would like to plant something but don't really know much! :blink:
Requirements would be
1 able to thrive in clay
2 low/zero maintenance
3 max height 1 - 2m
4 a bit of colour and structure - evergreen?
would an acer survive?  low growing cordyline? ornamental grasses?
please help!   

[sunshineband]

Not sure about an acer -- don't think so 

Roses would do really well 

Dogwoods, mahonia and cotoneaster spring to mind, too 

[tesni]

  thank you! off to google those now!
what about a pyracantha (sp)? good for bees apparantly   

[sunshineband]

Pyracantha will be fine as long as the soil is not actually waterlogged.

Buddlei are good for insects too, and foxgloves come to that 

[Goosegirl]

Not knowing the aspect of your plot - i.e. how much sun it gets, I would get bags of grit for mixing in your planting holes which will help with drainage. Then look at the fertility of the soil. If it hasn't been under previous flags, heavy soil will be relatively fertile and you can tell this with the number of worms present. Then it depends on your personal tastes. For low maintenance, I would suggest lavender, rosemary, bay, sage - all of which you csan use in the kitchen, but need good drainage. Ornamentals - try low-growing grasses, box to outline your plot, and heucheras are great for part shade and give colour all year round which changes in winter and have flower stems in summer too. Dogwoods are great for their coloured stems in winter but need heavy pruning in the spring to get new stem growth for the winter colour. Part-shade again -hellebores - I could go on! Send a pix with sun aspect info and we can go from there.

[catllar]

The gravel in the planting holes trick is one I've tried on the clay areas in my garden. The result has been  lots of sump spots - the water drains into them but can't then get away  due to the surrounding clay! I've lost a few plants like that,  mainly the non-swimmers! The best way forward  on my garden was to rotavate tons of gravel into the entire area and down to 30-40cm depth and then cultivate and plant.

[tesni]

dilemmas! why did the weeds do so well - perhaps I should have stuck with them - at least they were greenery!  will see if I can sort some pics and will work out a proper description re aspect etc.  I think simple is my best bet as I won't have time to devote to any upkeep.  Any advice will need to be on the KISS principle Keep It Simple & Staightforward, speak as if to an idiot 

[Goosegirl]

The gravel in the planting holes trick is one I've tried on the clay areas in my garden. The result has been  lots of sump spots - the water drains into them but can't then get away  due to the surrounding clay! I've lost a few plants like that,  mainly the non-swimmers! The best way forward  on my garden was to rotavate tons of gravel into the entire area and down to 30-40cm depth and then cultivate and plant.

Sorry - I should have mentioned that, if you just dig a hole in a massively clay soil, it will form a sump as Catllar found. Depends on how clayey it is. Lots of grit will definitely help and be an instant solution.

[catllar]

[[/quote]
Sorry - I should have mentioned that, if you just dig a hole in a massively clay soil, it will form a sump as Catllar found. Depends on how clayey it is. Lots of grit will definitely help and be an instant solution.
[/quote]

Trust me - there is nothing instant about rotavating 50 tons of gravel - however it has made an amazing difference!

[Goosegirl]

again, sorry. By instant, I meant that you won't have to wait years for earthworms, manure. compost to do their stuff. Glad what you have done has improved things vastly. Look forward to next year!