Shade Gardening: clay soil with gravel in it + 3 hrs. hot, hot sun , 5 by MaypopLaurel

MaypopLaurel wrote:
No amount or type of mulch would have helped my gravel situation. #1 photo is an example of what was inherited and #2 is the current entry to the cottage which has been worked on for just the past three years. There are small areas good enough to grow in ground and the remainder is faked in pots The cone flowers have actually done great with limited sun. Tricyrtis does well too. Gooseneck loosestrife is good but some consider it invasive. Maybe in good soil and sun. Otherwise, it is easy to pull. #3 is the kitchen garden this past April. It's taken over twenty years to reach this size and have soil conditioned like this. I till some years and don't others. I've got a tractor but don't use it in the garden because of the weight. #4 is from June. The last is end of July or early August. Anyway, I still have that original finger hoe plus a longer handled one. It is a most useful garden tool as I've actually excavated around rocks weighing over a hundred pounds until I've been able to angle a shovel. Did you ever wonder why archeologists and geologists work with such small tools?

I have lots of plants to share, including hostas, if you are interested. Just DM. You'd have to come to me and dig. I hosted RU's for four years but have not done one in a while. I'd mark off what people could dig and provide tools and pots. Same goes if you want to make the trip.