Greetings I am new to your site and I am looking for some ideas for a problem area I have in my yard .I live in SW MO and have a home built in the woods on the slope of a very steep hill. My yard is a flat area surrounded by woods and steep bluffs. I have a retaining wall that seperates the yard from the rest of the hill. The problem is that at either end of the retaining wall I have a dead spot, where nature and lawn meet. It is composed of clay and rock and looks horrid . I cant get a shovel into the ground to plant anything ,what can I do . Would it help if I tried to put soil over it and secure it with a short retaining wall and then plant some hardy plant I dont know what to do
Clay ugg!
- Thread starter Sharon
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zigs
Cactus Grower, Kent.
Welcome to Gardening Forums
You could build a raised bed over it yes.
Or you could think about planting succulents on it.
I've got a Yucca that grows in a couple of inches of soil on top of a concrete roof
You could build a raised bed over it yes.
Or you could think about planting succulents on it.
I've got a Yucca that grows in a couple of inches of soil on top of a concrete roof
Assuming this is a steep area perhaps some decnet soil towards bottom of where desired planting is and vines (like the type that grow up buildings) would do. Maybe soil , then chicken wire (To hold soil in place) and more soil for strong rooted ground cover?
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Welcome to the forum, and happy New Home! If I were faced with your problem, I'd start adding compost to the rocky/clay soil at either end of the retaining wall, and plan on at least three years of compost adding before trying to plant anything. In your case, there is no such thing as too much compost. Just spread compost around and keep trying to scratch it in.
In the meantime, get some pretty containers, probably pretty big ones, and plant whatever you want in them and place them in the problem area. Being frugal (many folks call me a tightwad) I'd select plants that could do well in containers for three years, then move into the ground.
In the meantime, get some pretty containers, probably pretty big ones, and plant whatever you want in them and place them in the problem area. Being frugal (many folks call me a tightwad) I'd select plants that could do well in containers for three years, then move into the ground.
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Welcome aboard, great to have you here! There are some good suggestions so far 
Have you thought about a rockery? You could plant alpine plants which grow well amongst rocks on hills, and it would create a bit of colour and interest. Do you have a photo of the area in question?
Have you thought about a rockery? You could plant alpine plants which grow well amongst rocks on hills, and it would create a bit of colour and interest. Do you have a photo of the area in question?- Joined
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Roses love clay.
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You could do a raised flower bed if you want something immediate because rehabbing the soil to something a little more workable takes a while. Depends on how patient you are haha. I did a raised bed because the soil was almost pure clay in the area I moved to at the time and didn't have 3+ years to invest in making the soil workable. I wanted something that was easy to work and gave me immediate enjoyment.