Clay Tolerant Plants

Heavy clay soils can be hazardous to many plants. If you think you have these conditions, a simple solution without amending your soil would be to use these proven plants from the list below.

If you are asking yourself, “Do I have heavy clay soils?” Try this test. Dig a hole in your yard. Fill it up with water. If the water does not drain well after a few hours, you have clay soils!

These soils are most prevalent in the areas directly south of our nursery (mainly the greater Pennington and Princeton areas of New Jersey, as well as the greater Yardley and New Hope areas of Pennsylvania). However, clay soils are also quite prevalent throughout the greater Hunterdon and Somerset Counties.

These varieties do well in clay soil:

Evergreen Shrubs

Arborvitae
Juniper
Yew

Flowering and Deciduous Shrubs

Barberry
Witch Hazel
Forsythia
Spirea
Viburnum
Burning Bush

Flowering Trees

Pear
Crabapple
Stewartia
Cherries

Groundcovers

Juniper

Perennials

Astilbe
Aster
Coreopsis

Shade Trees

Bald Cypress
River Birch
Ginkgo
Willow
Hawthorn
Maple
Sweetgum