These tough plants will thrive despite less than ideal soil conditions.
Clay soil can make gardening challenging.
It doesn’t let water drain easily and bakes solid when dry.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
However, it doesn’t mean you could’t grow gorgeous plants.
These 24 options are the bestperennial flowersfor clay soil, where it can be hard to grow other varieties.
Thesenectar-rich flowersare a pollinator favorite.
Credit: Greg Ryan
Other selections extend baptisia’s color range to white, yellow, and purple.
Its lupine-like flowers turn into blackened seed pods which are often used indried flower arrangements.
This fragrant plant is attractive tobees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, particularly when grouped in mass plantings.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
It’s also one of thetop rabbit-resistant plant choices for your garden.
‘Goldsturm’ is among the most popular varieties for its vigorous growth and profuse blooms.
It spreads quickly, but not invasively, to fill a planting bed with long-lasting color.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
It offers spikes of fluffy, deep purple flower heads atop leafy flower stalks.
This plant is an attractive addition to containers, cutting gardens, flower beds, and naturalized plantings.
After flowering, consider cutting back stems to promote bushy growth.
Credit: David Speer
Zones:5-9
Canna
Tropical-lookingcannaoffers dramatic foliage and bright blooms.
Its colorful flower spikes sit atop stems with large paddle-shaped leaves.
Look for a wide range of varietiessome grow only 2 feet tall; others tower over 6 feet.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Yarrow is tolerant of drought and heat and excellent for fresh-cut and dried flowers.
Its fern-like, silvery-gray foliage and clusters of golden-yellow blooms are especiallyattractive to butterflies.
It grows in dense, bushy clumps, and it has yellow,daisy-like flowerswith yellow center disks.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Deadhead spent flower stalks to encourage additional blooms and to prevent unwanted self-seeding.
This tough perennial blooms all summer and boasts impressive heat and drought tolerance.
This clump-forming, sunflower-like plant features daisy-like flowers and resembles the actual sunflower.
Credit: Kritsada Panichgul
The plant shape resembles waterspraying from a fountain, hence its common name.
Thislow-maintenance ornamental grassprovides excellent texture, color, and contrast to borders and open areas.
‘Hameln’, pictured here, is a dwarf variety that grows about 2-1/2 feet tall and wide.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
It’s very attractive to bees and butterflies and also makes for agood cut flower.
Goldenrods are generally good flowers for clay soil and they can grow up to 5 feet tall.
‘Crown of Rays’ is just as pretty but stays more compact at 2 feet tall.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Hosta
A favorite in theshade gardenfor its attractive foliage,hostasare an ideal low-maintenance garden perennial.
Many hostas produce pretty spikes of white or lavender blooms.
‘Patriot’ hosta, pictured at left, has blue-green leaves dramatically edged in pure white.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
It tolerates summer heat and withstands long periods of drought.
In late summer, it bears purple flowers that attract butterflies.
This tall, coarse perennial with tough stems is a great background plant forborders.
Credit: Bob Stefko
After thefirst fall frost, the foliage usually turns an attractive shade of red.
Its showy daisy-like flowers bloom atop stiff stems with dark green leaves that make a greatfresh-cut bouquet.
‘Ruby Star’, pictured here, is one of many varieties available.
Credit: Jacob Fox
Also, look for hybrids with colors ranging from pink to white, orange, burgundy, and red.
Its wispy lavender flower spikes andsilvery foliagemake it an anchor of the summer border.
Related to thistles (though it doesn’t spread like them), sea holly is alsodeer- and rabbit-resistant.
Credit: Edward Gohlich
Rattlesnake master and Miss Willmott’s ghost are other types ofEryngiumthat are good perennials for clay soil.
Sedum
The drought-resistant perennial flowersedumis an excellent plant forrock gardensor border fronts.
It offers wispy seedheads that sway gracefully in the breeze.
Credit: Doug Hetherington
Plant it as an architectural accent in your garden, or watch it thrive in a large container.
Credit: John Reed Forsman
Credit: Scott Little
Credit: Denny Schrock
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Credit: David Speer
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Denny Schrock
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Bob Stefko
