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While we feed the bees to enhance the pollination of our garden, why not improve our clay soil too?
For each flowering plant that grows in clay soil I’ll include; where it’s known to be native, when it blooms, zones they grow in as a perennial, where to get seeds for each, soil preferences, and root habits.
Native options are your best choices for supporting the local wildlife and retaining diversity. The bloom time frames will allow you to make a variety of choices so you have flowers showing throughout the season.
If a flower is outside your growing zone you can grow it as an annual if it blooms within a single season.
Sourcing seeds can be the difference between your ability to save them yourself for next year—or not. All seeds recommended in this post are heirloom and open-pollinated seeds from the USA and some in Canada.
Related: 5 Phases to Create Well-Drained Clay Soil for Growing Food
To support and attract a variety of pollinators and beneficial predators—pick out a variety of flowers that bloom at the same time and at different times. For spring, you’ll want 3 or more varieties of flowers to bloom at once, same for summer and fall.
See this chart for a simple view of bloom times, and scroll for more detail on each plant.
Bee-friendly plants for clay | Spring Blooms | Summer Blooms | Fall blooms |
Asters | x | x | early, mid, x |
Bergamot Bee Balm | x | x, mid, end | x |
Cat Mint | x | x, mid, end | early, mid, end |
Anise Hyssop | x, mid, end | early , x, x | |
Goldenrod | x | x, x, end | early, x, x |
Black eyes Susan | x, mid, end | early, mid, x | |
Burdock | x, mid, end | early, x, x | |
Borage | x | early, mid, end | early, mid, x |
Yarrow | x | early, mid, end | early, x, x |
Ironweed | x | x, mid, end | x |
Coneflower | x | early, mid, end | early, x, x |
St John’s Wort | x, x, end | early, mid, end | x |
Hepatica | x, mid, end | x | x |
Butterfly weed | x | x, mid, end | x |
Pussy willow | early, mix, x | x | x |
Golden currant | x, mid, end | x | x |
Blazing star | x | x | early, x, x |
Phlox | x | x, mid, end | early, x x |
Sunflower | x | x, x, end | early, x x |
Leadplant | x | x, mid, end | early, x, x |
Blue sage | x | early, mid, end | x |
Culverts root | x | x, mid, end | x |
Joe pye weed | x | x, mid, end | early, |
Fireweed | x | early, mid, end | early, x, |
Dandelion | x, x, end | early, mid, end | early, mid, x |
Honeysuckle | x, x, end | early, mid, x | x |
Comfrey | x, x, end | early, mid, x | x |
This article was originally published on foodforestliving.com. If it is now published on any other site, it was done without permission from the copyright owner.
If you have less space for planting, see if you can choose an arrangement of plants that have notably long bloom times such as cat mint (from mid-summer to the end of fall), and St Jon’s wort (from the end of spring to end of summer), and dandelions (Mid spring to mid fall). The purple and yellow are also complimentary with differing heights, green foliage tones, and textures.
Before planting any of these options check with your local invasive plant council or regional extension office for guidance on plants that may be invasive in your area.
Asters
- Native to Eastern North America
- Blooms from September to October
- Grow zones: 3-7
- Aster seeds and color choices
- Pollinated by bees, flies, beetles, moths, & butterflies
- Prefers moist and well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay, Some types of aster have shallow and fibrous root systems, while others have rhizomatous, or deeper root systems
Related: Evergreens & Perennials to Improve Poor Draining Clay Soil
Bergamot Bee Balm
- Native to North America
- Blooms from July to August
- Grow zones 5-9
- Spotted bee balm seeds
- pollinated by bees butterflies, songbirds, and hummingbirds
- Can grow in heavy clay and prefers moist conditions, has shallow roots
Cat Mint
- Native to Temperate Eurasia and Macaronesia to Eastern Tropical Africa
- Blooms July to November
- Grow zones 3-7
- Catmint seeds and more information about uses
- Pollinated by bees (these are always buzzing loudly at our place!)
- Clay is not the preference, but it’s an easy-going plant that grows well regardless. Catmint prefers dry or moist soil. Has a deep and dense fibrous root system.
Anise Hyssop
- Native to Western North America
- Blooms in July to September
- Grow zones 4-9
- Seeds and details
- Pollinated by honey bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and hover wasps
- Prefers lighter soil establishment with good drainage, but can grow just fine in aerated and organically amended clay, has thick spreading roots and rhizomes
Goldenrod
- Native to Eastern North America
- Blooms August to September
- Grow zones 3-7
- Seeds
- Pollinated by butterflies, flies, and bees
- Grows in heavy clay and prefers moist soil, has an extensive fibrous root system with rhizomes and deep taproots
Black-eyed Susan
- Native to the great plains
- Blooms July to October
- Grow zones 3-9
- Seeds for susans!
- Pollinated by bees and hoverflies
- Grows easily in clay soil unless it’s waterlogged for prolonged periods, but prefers moist soil, has a taproot
Burdock
- Native to Europe and Asia
- Blooms July to September
- Grow zones 3-7
- Seeds of burdock
- Pollinated by bees, moths, butterflies
- Grows in clay soil and prefers moist well-drained soil, has a deep root system
Borage
- Native to Europe
- Blooms June to October
- Grow zones 6-9 easily grown as annual
- Details about borage and seeds
- Pollinated by bees (always buzzy in our garden!)
- Grows in heavy clay soil and prefers moist well-drained soil, has a taproot
Yarrow
- Native to North America, Europe, Asia
- Blooms June to August
- Grow zones 4-8
- More information about yarrow and seeds
- Pollinated by various bees, beetles, and butterflies
- Grows in heavy clay, prefers well-drained soil with moisture, has a spreading fibrous root system
Ironweed
- Native to North America
- Blooms July to August
- Grow zones 3-7
- Seeds and more details
- Pollinated by various bees, and butterflies
- Grows in heavy clay and prefers moisture, has shallow roots
Coneflower
- Native to North America
- Blooms June to September
- Grow zones 3-10
- Seeds and various colors to choose
- Pollinated by bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
- Grows in clay soil but best amended with plenty of organic matter to improve drainage, has deep taproots
St John’s Wort
- Native to Europe, Area, and North Africa, established in North America in the early 1900
- Blooms May to august
- Grow zones 3-7
- Seeds
- Pollinated by bumble bees
- Grows in various soil including clay, and prefers well-drained moist soil, can adapt to moist or dry soils. Has tap roots.
Hepatica
- Native to Asia and Europe
- Blooms April to May
- Grow zones 3-9
- Seeds and details
- Pollinated by bees, flies, and beetles
- Grows in a range of soil types including heavy clay, and needs plenty of organic moisture and drainage. Better placed in higher positions rather than anywhere boggy or waterlogged. Has shallow fibrous roots.
Butterfly weed
- Native to North America
- Blooms July to August
- Grow zones 3-8
- Details and seeds
- Pollinated by various bees
- Grows in heavy clay, prefers wet or dry soil, has thick woody taproot that grow up to 12 feet
Rosegold Pussy Willow
- Native to Asia, Europe
- Blooms March to April
- Grow zones 5-9
- Seeds and other variety options
- Pollinated by bees in very early spring upon awakening
- Grows in heavy clay and prefers moist or wet soil, has invasive a massive root system
Dandelion
Not all dandelions are yellow and boring if that’s an issue for you or your neighbors!
White and pink dandelions exist too! They are less vigorous, but grow well in clay too and provide plenty of nectar for the bees.
Dandelions often grow in heavy clay to break up the soil with its taproots in zones 3-9.
Golden currant
- Native to North America
- Blooms April
- Grow zones 3-8
- Buy a plant at a local nursery
- Pollinated by hummingbirds, butterflies, bees
- Grows in clay soil, and prefers well-drained loam, but many gardeners have success in heavier clays, has robust root system
Phlox or creeping phlox
- Native to North America
- Blooms June to September
- Grow zones 4-9
- Color-mix of phlox seeds
- Pollinated by bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
- Grows in clay, can grow in heavy clay and prefers moist soil, has shallow roots
Blazing star
- Native to North America
- Blooms September
- Grow zones 3-9
- Seeds
- Pollinated by bees
- Can grow in loosened clay with organic matter, with moisture or wet conditions, has thick deep roots
Sunflower
- Native to North America
- Blooms July to September
- Grow zones 6-9 – commonly grown as annual
- Chocolate cherry sunflower
- Pollinated by bees and flies
- Grows in heavy clay, prefers dry or moist soil, many gardeners successfully grow sunflowers in clay. Has taproot and spreading fibrous roots.
Leadplant
- Native to North and South America
- Blooms July to September
- Grow zones 2-9
- Seeds
- Pollinated by bees, butterflies
- Can grow in clay, but dislikes standing water, fixes nitrogen, has very deep up to 16-ft root system
Blue sage
- Native to North America
- Blooms June to august
- Grow zones 4-10
- Sage options
- Pollinated by bees (always buzzy in our garden!)
- Grows in clay soil and thrives, has large central taproot
Fireweed
- Native to North America
- Blooms June to September
- Grow zones 3-7
- Seeds and image
- Pollinated by various bees
- Grows in heavy clay, prefers moist soil, has shallow roots
Honeysuckle
- Bloom from May to July
- Grow zones 5-9
- Honeysuckle attracts plenty of birds, bees, and butterflies and comes in a wide variety of colors.
- Grows in clay soil and likes drainage and organic matter, has shallow rhizomatous root system
Joe pye weed
- Native to North America
- Blooms July to September
- Grow zones 3-7
- Seeds
- Pollinated by a wide variety of bees
- Grows in heavy clay, prefers drainage and moist soil, has fibrous and horizontal spreading roots
Culvert’s root
- Native to North America
- Blooms July to August
- Grow zones 3-8
- Seeds and image
- Highly attractive to various bees
- Tolerates clay soil, fibrous rhizome root system
Comfrey
- Native to Europe
- Blooms May to June
- Grow zones 4-9
- You’ll need to buy an infertile strain such as bocking-14 to avoid more plants that you want to have. Once you plant it, don’t expect to remove it! All root fragments propagate into a new plant, so don’t dig around or disturb its root system unless you want more in that spot.
- Attracts bees
- Thrives in clay soil and moisture. Has deep vigorous taproot.
Bee-friendly wildflower seed mixes
Finally, you can choose a simple seed mix for a meadow of wildflowers if you’re looking to save time on plant selection.
Conclusion
I recommend looking up native plants for your area and referencing this list to quickly confirm if they are suitable to grow in clay soil.
Planting a diverse spectrum of plants will improve your soil since each root system grows in its own way. A mix of shallow and deep tap-rooted plants will help break up clay and add organic matter at various depths as they live out their lifespans.
Diversity is also important to the bees you’re planting for! Different species of bees prefer different flowers that offer various nectars.
Any plant is better than no plant!
Up Next:
- Ideal crops for clay soil (annuals & edible perennials)
- Prepare the Ground for a Food Forest Properly (Full Guide)
Leave a comment to describe what you’ve tried, what does and doesn’t work, or if you’ve tried any of these plants!
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