By Paul James

Heavy clay. Sandy or rocky soil. Wet areas. Dense shade. Those are but a few of the challenges gardeners face, and dealing with them can be frustrating, back-breaking, and expensive. But none are insurmountable if, rather than try to change the conditions, you make the most of what you’ve got.

So here are several suggestions for plants that will adapt to difficult or problem sites. The lists are by no means complete, but they’ll get you off to a good start.

Plants for Clay Soil

Funny thing about clay soil. On the one hand it tends to hold moisture and can cause the roots of many plants to rot. But on the other hand it’s nutrient rich. These plants like the combination.

Plants for Wet Soil

Some areas remain swampy or boggy pretty much all the time, whereas others dry out between waterings or following a soaking rain. These plants can handle both conditions so long as the soil doesn’t remain dry for long.

Plants for Sandy and Rocky Soil

Although these soil types tend to drain very quickly, it’s better to deep soak each time you water rather than water frequently but shallowly. They also tend to be nutrient poor, but again because they drain quickly it’s best to use a slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote or any number of organic products.

Plants for Dense Shade

A couple of hours of morning sun is okay, but these plants thrive in deep shade such as what you’d find beneath mature trees or under eaves.

Don’t get me wrong, folks. If you’d rather spend big bucks on excavating lousy soil and backfilling with topsoil and compost, or hiring a contractor to dig a pricey French drain, or paying an arborist to thin the canopy of mature trees to allow more light to reach the ground, be my guest. Just remember — you don’t have to fight the site.

Happy gardening, ya’ll.