Undiggable Soil
 

My friend's garden is fairly large, wide borders around the sides, with many
trees and shrubs in the borders.

The problem is with the soil in the borders. You can't get a garden fork or
a spade into the soil at all. It's absolutely impossible to plant bulbs or
even the smallest perennial. The soil is rock hard and full of shallow (but
thin) roots, which I presume are from the trees or shrubs. The soil is so
bad that several spades and forks have been broken trying to dig into it.

My friend wants flowering perennials and bulbs in the borders, but when she
does manage to hack a hole and plant something, it soon dies.

I suggested adding more soil on top, but the borders are already built up
about a foot or so, so that's not a practical solution.

So the question is -- if it's impossible to dig into the soil to improve it,
then what's the solution?

Thanks.

In article ,
"Joanne" writes:
|
| The problem is with the soil in the borders. You can't get a garden fork or
| a spade into the soil at all. It's absolutely impossible to plant bulbs or
| even the smallest perennial. The soil is rock hard and full of shallow (but
| thin) roots, which I presume are from the trees or shrubs. The soil is so
| bad that several spades and forks have been broken trying to dig into it.
|
| My friend wants flowering perennials and bulbs in the borders, but when she
| does manage to hack a hole and plant something, it soon dies.
|
| I suggested adding more soil on top, but the borders are already built up
| about a foot or so, so that's not a practical solution.
|
| So the question is -- if it's impossible to dig into the soil to improve it,
| then what's the solution?

A pickaxe. Well, a grubaxe or pick-mattock. Perhaps even a
pneumatic drill.

Seriously. The manual method is good enough for anything that
can honestly be called soil, but the latter is better for actual
concrete. If you don't break up the soil to the depth of a foot
or two, nothing much will grow.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Joanne wrote:

So the question is -- if it's impossible to dig into the soil
to improve it, then what's the solution?

Thanks.

Move house?

(;-)

pk

Try using a Mattock first time over,
http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/...pat-2-27kg.asp

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

Joanne wrote:
The problem is with the soil in the borders. You can't get a garden fork
or
a spade into the soil at all. It's absolutely impossible to plant bulbs
or
even the smallest perennial. The soil is rock hard and full of shallow
(but
thin) roots, which I presume are from the trees or shrubs. The soil is so
bad that several spades and forks have been broken trying to dig into it.

I had this problem with one of my borders - but I found that trying it in
the spring when the soil is wet is doable - then add lots of soil improver.

ROSIE

"Joanne" wrote in message
...
My friend's garden is fairly large, wide borders around the sides, with
many
trees and shrubs in the borders.

The problem is with the soil in the borders. You can't get a garden fork
or
a spade into the soil at all. It's absolutely impossible to plant bulbs
or
even the smallest perennial. The soil is rock hard and full of shallow
(but
thin) roots, which I presume are from the trees or shrubs. The soil is so
bad that several spades and forks have been broken trying to dig into it.

My friend wants flowering perennials and bulbs in the borders, but when
she
does manage to hack a hole and plant something, it soon dies.

I suggested adding more soil on top, but the borders are already built up
about a foot or so, so that's not a practical solution.

So the question is -- if it's impossible to dig into the soil to improve
it,
then what's the solution?

Thanks.

I expect its got lots of clay in it .......you need to pile on really good
garden compost over several seasons to make a change in the soil and dont
try digging it at this time of year after a drought

"Joanne" wrote in message
...
My friend's garden is fairly large, wide borders around the sides, with
many
trees and shrubs in the borders.

The problem is with the soil in the borders. You can't get a garden fork
or
a spade into the soil at all. It's absolutely impossible to plant bulbs
or
even the smallest perennial. The soil is rock hard and full of shallow
(but
thin) roots, which I presume are from the trees or shrubs. The soil is so
bad that several spades and forks have been broken trying to dig into it.

My friend wants flowering perennials and bulbs in the borders, but when
she
does manage to hack a hole and plant something, it soon dies.

I suggested adding more soil on top, but the borders are already built up
about a foot or so, so that's not a practical solution.

So the question is -- if it's impossible to dig into the soil to improve
it,
then what's the solution?

Thanks.

Nothing grows well in the shade. If the trees are a good size they will be
taking all the available nutrients and water, and new plants will have a
really hard time of it. And unless they are deciduous, bulbs will almost
certainly not do well.
Assuming removal of (some of) the existing trees and shrubs is out of the
question, the answer may be to put the new plants in containers and site
them where there is space for them.

Steve

"shazzbat" wrote in message
...

snip

And unless they are deciduous, bulbs will almost
certainly not do well.

'Just have to try some evergreen ones then.
;-)

--
ned

http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk
last update 05.09.2004

"shazzbat" wrote in
:

Nothing grows well in the shade. If the trees are a good size they
will be taking all the available nutrients and water, and new plants
will have a really hard time of it.

.... exception to every rule!

Might want to try hardy cyclamen. That's the sort of location they like,
and the leaves are pretty too. And because they are quite small, you don't
have to hack a big hole in the roots to plant them.

I think you could probably get bluebells going there too, though some
people would say that was just compounding the problem!

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--