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