Plants for a clay bank

brummoi, Oct 22, 2:32am
Hi. I have a fairly wide slightly crumbly clay bank about 1m high and 45 degrees. It has grass and weeds on it but looks in need of planting to brighten it up but I have no clue what I'm doing in the garden. It's sheltered but gets limited sun. I thought maybe digging out little holes for the plants might be the way to go but I've killed cactus in the past so please make any suggestions idiot proof lol
needy, Oct 22, 2:44am
google gazanias, also succulents probable might help
brummoi, Oct 22, 3:06am
Thanks, gazanias sound interesting. Succulents too. I'll do some more googling
pandaeye, Oct 22, 5:59am
ground cover roses.
smiler127, Oct 22, 6:05am
I've got heavy clay soil and have planted gazanias on a sloping bank which has good sun. I purchased some that were in the sick bay at the garden centre (a couple of $$ a pot) and they've gone nuts. Some are abouttwo metres in diameter.
ruby2shoes, Oct 22, 6:05am
google, or try your local library or garden center for some ideas. If you've got the dosh, maybea landscape gardener.Clay soil is hideous, but a crumbly bank!No idea.hey, not sure what conifers would be like, many varieties, I don't know what soil they like.
dibble35, Oct 22, 6:07am
Flaxs, they'll stop the bank from crumbling. theres some nice smallish 1/2 -1m tall ones such as yellow wave, platts black, rainbow maiden etc, coprosma acerosa AKA sand coprosma is another good one, most ground cover coprosmas would do.Muehlenbeckia complexa! the ground cover one would be excellent as well. If soils truely awful dig a bigger hole than the plant rootball, add some compost and some slow release fert tablets. Will make a world of differance.
brummoi, Oct 22, 7:40pm
Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone. I'll do some reading up
carter19, Oct 22, 8:35pm
Mum has lots of flax, baby agapanthas and gazanias, daisies al doing well
teg3, Oct 23, 2:34am
i would suggest you dont dig a hole and plant because once it rains the bowl you have made in the clay wont drain and will rot the plant roots. at the top of my bank i did this and filled it with compost but made sure the base of the hole drained out down the bank ;i bought dailia plants for in here. dalia plants from bunnings or simariler as seedlings are only about $1.50 for 6. they do die down after summer but come up as tubers for years after(very colourful almost free of pests;ie low maintanance)half way down the bank i dug in at 90 degs every 30cm or so and made a hole and filled with compost as above making sure the water drains down; here i planted companula whitch if you get the spreading type will grow up the bank to the dalias and also downwards :ie ground cover with a carpet of bluebell type flowers. in the last 3rd of the bank i did the dig in thing again and planted black mondo grass which really binds the clay together(taking all the abve water) the mondo grass takes several years to establish but if you know someone with it they will tell you it goes nuts; get some runners of them and plant them everywhere. so whenthe dalias start fading you can put in pansysor primularsetc and you will have a band of black at the base blue half way up merging into fantastic summer colours above .and not much maintance
wildflower, Oct 23, 2:48am
I know in parts agapanthas is considered a weed etc but it's supposed to be great for holding clay banks together (if it doesn't spread too much:) )
brummoi, Oct 23, 5:37am
the black grass sounds interesting. Are you saying it will or won't go nuts! I've been thinking of digging out a couple of levels in the bank too so will keep your suggestions in mind. Thanks heaps
marie2244, Oct 25, 10:17pm
I suggest the good doers like Cistus ( rock rose), Ceanathus (californian lilac),hardy varieties of Hebe, Choiysa ternata (mock orange). Day Lillies,Leucadendrons, There are new varieties of Agapanthus which are non invasive.Echiums , sedums flaxes, Colonema. They are all on my bank and thriving.