Most of the Midwestern area is comprised of clay soils. Never fear! This is a much better situation to have than sandy soils. Clay soils maintain more minerals and moisture than other soils.
Sometimes clay soils can be bad, such as in conditions where there are more problems than just the soil. If while digging in the soil, it looks blueish-black and smells kinda off, this is because of poor drainage and the smell is from rotting organisms. The area should be assessed for drainage problems before anything else is done.
If the clay is a redish-orange, this is perfect as the soil is holding all the minerals plants crave.
With regards to planting woody plants, be sure to plant these correctly and never lower than the top of the roots of the rootball. If you’re at all concerned about the clay content of your soil, plant you woody plant a bit higher. Trust me, they will love you for it!!
- For perennials for clay soils ~ CLICK HERE
Trees for Clay Soils
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Grow Zone |
| Abies balsamea | Balsam fir | 3 |
| Abies concolor | White fir | 4 |
| Acer freemanii | Freeman maple | 4 |
| Acer ginnala | Amur or ginnala maple | 3 |
| Acer platanoides | Norway maple | 4 |
| Acer rubrum | Red maple | 3 |
| Acer saccharinum | Silver maple | 3 |
| Alnus glutinosa | European alder | 4 |
| Betula nigra | River birch | 4 |
| Carpinus caroliniana | Blue beech | 4 |
| Carya cordiformis | Bitternut hickory | 4 |
| Carya ovata | Shagbark hickory | 4 |
| Celtis occidentalis | Common hackberry | 2 |
| Crataegus species | Hawthorn | 3-4 |
| Fraxinus nigra | Black ash | 3 |
| Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Green ash | 3 |
| Ginkgo biloba | Ginkgo | 4 |
| Gleditsia triacanthos | Common honeylocust | 4 |
| Gymnocladus dioicus | Kentucky coffeetree | 4 |
| Juglans cinerea | Butternut | 4 |
| Juglans nigra | Black walnut | 4 |
| Larix decidua | European larch | 4 |
| Larix laricina | Tamarack | 2 |
| Malus species | Apple, crabapple | 3 |
| Phellodendron amurense | Amur corktree | 4 |
| Picea abies | Norway spruce | 4 |
| Picea glauca var. densata | Black Hills spruce | 4 |
| Pinus nigra | Austrian pine | 4 |
| Pinus strobus | White pine | 3 |
| Pinus sylvestris | Scots pine | 3 |
| Pinus ponderosa | Ponderosa pine | 4 |
| Populus species | Aspen, cottonwood | 2 |
| Pyrus species | Pear | 4-5 |
| Quercus bicolor | Swamp white oak | 4 |
| Quercus macrocarpa | Bur oak | 3 |
| Salix species | Willow | 2 |
| Syringa reticulata | Japanese tree lilac | 4 |
| Tilia species | Linden, basswood | 3 |
| Ulmus species | Elm | 4 |
Shrubs for Clay Soils
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Grow Zone |
| Amelanchier species | Serviceberry | 4 |
| Aronia melanocarpa | Chokeberry | 3 |
| Caragana arborescens | Siberian peashrub | 3 |
| Cephalanthus occidentalis | Buttonbush | 4 |
| Cornus alba | Tatarian dogwood | 3 |
| Cornus alternifolia | Pagoda dogwood | 4 |
| Cornus racemosa | Grey dogwood | 3 |
| Cornus sericea | Red osier dogwood | 3 |
| Diervilla lonicera | Dwarf bush-honeysuckle | 3 |
| Elaeagnus commutata | Silverberry | 2 |
| Euonymus alatus | Burning bush | 3 |
| Forsythia x ‘Meadowlark’ | ‘Meadowlark’ forsythia | 3 |
| Forsythia x ‘Northern Sun’ | ‘Northern Sun’ forsythia | 3 |
| Hamamelis virginiana | Witch hazel | 4 |
| Ilex verticillata | Winterberry | 4 |
| Juniperus species (most) | Juniper | 3 |
| Physocarpus opulifolius | Common ninebark | 2 |
| Potentilla Fruticosa | Potentilla | 2 |
| Rhus species | Sumac | 2 |
| Ribes alpinum | Alpine currant | 2 |
| Ribes odoratum | Clove currant | 2 |
| Rosa rugosa | Rugosa rose | 2 |
| Salix species | Willow | 2 |
| Sambucus canadensis | American elderberry | 3 |
| Spiraea species | Spirea | 3-4 |
| Symphoricarpos albus | White snowberry | 3 |
| Syringa species | Lilac | 2 |
| Thuja occidentalis | Arborvitae, white cedar | 3 |
| Viburnum dentatum | Arrowwood viburnum | 3 |
| Viburnum lentago | Nannyberry viburnum | 2 |
| Viburnum opulus | European cranberry bush | 3 |
| Viburnum sargentii | Sargent viburnum | 4 |
| Viburnum trilobum | Highbush cranberry bush | 2 |
© The Naturarian
