"kate7" wrote in message
...

H Ryder Wrote:
On a practical level how do you cope with applying manure to a border
with
a-
bark chip mulch. If you want to manure and mulch every year, does
this-
rule-
out bark chips.-

you could scrape back the bark, put down the manure, then put the bark
back.
Hayley

I too have a clay garden. When the gas pipes were re-done round here
they had to abandon their little diggers in some areas and get in the
ground with spades!!
I might try some of the suggestions here, although I've pretty much
given up trying to create a nice layer of topsoil.
If you choose plants that don't mind clay soil and water well when they
go in, you can create a lovely garden and save your back.
Clay soil is pretty nutritious once a plant has settled in. I've found
that aquilegia, ribus, astilbe and many others have been happy with
just a potsized hole cut out of the clay and plenty of water in the
first couple of weeks. Even a very mature wisteria I just put in is
flourishing (and the way I put that into the ground was shameful
considering the size of the plant!!)

I'm going to get told off now for being so lazy.....

kate7

This isn't lazy, its gardening with what you have. You will be improving the
ground as you go as well.
I have clay, and the first thing I did when I moved here was to give up on
those plants that need much work, like the transplanted hhp/a's.

Hazel