In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

David E. Ross wrote:
On 8/8/12 2:02 PM, mdemetri2 wrote:
Hi, I have been 4 years in my current home, and the back garden
pretty much each year needs some new plants and shrubs. Although I
admit we have in the past bought what looks nice and arent
necessarily suited for our east facing heavy clay moisture retaining
soil.

Firstly, I have over the last 2 months or so being contemplating
removing the soil/clay from our flower bed about a foot or so and
replacing with new soil mixed in with sand but adding more depth - so
allowing for a total of 15 inches of decent soil to replace the harsh
stuff we have now. Lots of digging out and replacing.....good idea?

What you propose will create an interface between top soil and
subsoil. Many plant roots will not cross that interface.


OK but it is a flower garden this may not be a problem.

D

With my grey clay and rock soil, I fond a marked improvement adding
organic material (5%), and sand (30%). Till that in, and then grow rye,
or buckwheat as a cover crop. I tilled once, have kept it mulched, and
when I pull up plants, most of the root system follows (the soil is very
friable now, and full of worms). I only grew those cover crops once. If
you grow annuals, mulch during the off season.

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