per.ageratum,blackeyed susans,delosperma(iceplant),coleus,lantana,indigofera(s),rudbeckias(the tall orange and black gloriosa daisy)..ooh and the Torenia Moon Yellow with the purple centers, Mexican zinnias(Mex petunias not happy with all that early rain)
Day lilies for the most part bloomed heavily and bloomed out quickly. I was hoping they'd bloom over a longer period but these are the stellas and similars. The big daylily in a different bed has been blooming for about 3 weeks now..2-3 big blossoms a day.
Datura seems to like the clay too. A stray seed came up early this month after I'd weeded and sprayed Roundup to clear the fallow bed. It's only half the size of it's mother plant but full of buds and will bloom by the weekend. Very fragrant.

I had the same experience with the Stellas. They bloomed like crazy this spring and then kind of petered out. I am getting some small random blooms here and there but the plants themselves look like those blooms really took it out of them.

I have three other larger flowering types, a red, an orange, and a yellow that I think is Happy Returns. The red appears to be done, the orange puts out one flower a day and the Happy Returns is blooming like crazy right now. It was later to bloom but has, overall, the best blooms and healthiest foliage of them all.

I almost forgot about the Lantana and the Black-eyed Susans and the Coleus did do well last year too.

Thanks for sharing. I am just past thinking beyond the box stores so I haven't heard of some of them. I'll have to fire up the search engine and check them out!

My monarda was slow to start....I planted plants that were about 8 inches tall back in April. They kinda looked the same in May...and the first week in June...but, holy smokes they overnight shot up, and look wonderful now.

I have to also say the last two years my Pineapple sage has just done phenominal as well. I planted one plant that was also about 8 inches tall back in April......and within 3 weeks it was 3 times the size. Today, the plant is about 3 ft. around....and continues to grow by leaps and bounds.

My Homestead purple verbena and the white version I have love their new homes...as well as the blue sage I planted.

Canna also love it!

I have always had pretty good luck with the Pineapple Sage even in the poor place I planted it. It is my "alarm" for dry soil as it is the first to complain but it bounces back nicely and never fails to put on a show in late summer.

That Monarda is a trip. It stayed in that pot just the way you brought it for a good week. I re-potted it and it grew like.. overnight. I plan to throw that in the ground this fall with everything else I epically failed to get in the ground this spring. :)

How are those Dianthus doing? The ones I potted up are springing back to life after a nice haircut. Just wondering if you had the same luck.

I have a couple of cottage-style beds in brick-quality clay that I turned a little cow manure into before planting several years ago so it's pretty much used up and time to top dress. Even so several things do well: four-o'clocks, feverfew, black and blue sage, blue hill sage, butterfly bush, balloon flowers, sedum, dianthus, butterfly weed, short asters, blackberry lily, Stargazer lily, gaillardias. Somebody already said coneflowers - the white swan are taking over and they're nice. In shade, hosta, hellebores, lamiastrum, azaleas planted high, hydrangea. Even a yellow Carefree rose doesn't seem to mind the clay. If you have a little slope the catmints will be okay - this Spring I only lost one that was planted on level ground. Daffodils don't mind, and even Darwin hybrid tulips came back 4 years when planted down a good 8 inches. I read that the clay and depth help to keep the bulbs from shattering into smaller bulbs.

The only things I really dislike about the clay is how hard it is to dig, scraping it off shoe soles, and the shoe and clothing stains.

The dianthus you gave me look awesome! All of mine are blooming like crazy! Once they bloom a larger bunch of flowers...I wait til the flowerheads turn brown...so I know the seeds are done, then I go out and cut them back by 1/3...within a week they are back and blooming again.

I planted the purple Monarda you gave me in my tomato patch. lol I wanted all the bees over there I could get.....it has really helped with more fruits!

My Jacob Clines are blooming up a mad storm right now...they look really pretty with the lantana and liatris as the companion plants.

I didn't think about how much a tomato plant would grow if I planted in that bed though....and now it is everyplace...I won't do that again next year! lol

Seems like you don't have any issues growing mint. lol ( hehe)

Thanks Joy, for the nice list. I noticed too that the catmint does better on a slope. Good to hear the blackberry lily do well too. I have several of them in pots that I wondered about.

Canna- You wouldn't believe but after you watched me dig those up and pulverize the ground, I had a sprig pop up this week. In light of the memory (pervasively popping up against my will if you get my meaning) I swore a little and walked off. I was tempted, of course, to stomp it a few times but decided against it in realizing that this would increase my disappointment if it continued to grow or worse yet, flourish despite my obvious assassination attempt.

That hill my tomatoes were growing on got covered in grass and they really were not doing anything. At this time of year, still being about six inches tall, I instructed Brian to just mow over them. Weird how we had tomatoes, okra, squash, and yes, a patch of gourds growing right in the middle of the yard. I could almost understand them on the hill, where the veggies were planted. In the middle of the yard though? Dang, I forgot about the watermelon!

Haha, nice of you to bring up the mint issue. It actually isn't too bad since we have been keeping up with the genocide we started last year. Just remember as you joke however, you have plants from my yard. I try to keep the seed heads clipped but should I accidentally have missed one in the immediate vicinity, I'll make sure to have a giggle at your expense. :P

Silly me - from the title of this post, I assumed it was about the progeny of the former American Idol contestant who hails from NC! Anyway, I have found that clay, once you deal with providing adequate drainage by means of adding organic matter, perlite, or both, is great as a garden soil, especially if you are gardening at any sort of elevation. I'm gardening in acidic clay at almost sea level, which limits me in some ways, but raised beds are helpful for growing things that demand better drainage than most. Its main benefit over sandy soil is that it contains and holds lots of nutrients for plants. Roses, especially teas, chinas, hybrid musks, and other shrub varieties, including the newer knockouts, etc., do fantastically well in our soil, and there are many varieties that never need spraying. Many bulbs, including narcissus, crinums, eucomis, cannas, and hippaestrums are spectacular as well. Daylilies do fantastically well here, given enough sun and water; maybe yours just need a little more time. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but there are numerous resources for finding great plants for your area. Any of Elizabeth Lawrence's books (still timely after all of these years), the J. C. Raulston Arboretum website, or Tony Avent's incredible Plant Delights Nursery website and catalog can serve as wonderful references.

That middle of the yard pop-up for veggies reminds me of a year I had a swath of varieties of lettuce growing in the lawn. It finally occurred to me that the row of volunteers pointed to the compost pile where I had dragged garden waste to toss out. Perhaps that's what happened in your yard?

Seriously, except for coleus I'm not haunting the nurseries for annuals either but that torenia, a creamy yellow with a bold purple center did what the tag said.
It's made a nice mound and hasn't stopped blooming since I planted it in a very dry,half day sun,baked between a stone wall and a bright concrete driveway.
I should add this odd location to my recently recovered "Book of Lists".
Our 6th year in this house and first time I've planted this spot.

I'd be fine with mint growing in my yard...i'll switch it out for that weed with the round leaf that kinda looks like a lily pad that is impossible to kill. I have that stuff EVERYWHERE!
I spray it with weedkiller, and it looks at me and horse laughs me! For reals....It will outlive cockroaches for dominance on the planet after humans...I think I even saw it on the Discovery show! lol

I think mint smells good when the mower chops it up anyway. lol Call me crazy!

Hey, I also hear Maxamillion Sunflowers are good to grow in our climate! LOL....dontcha just love me? hehe

Bubba - Blasphemy, I know, but I never watched American Idol so the reference is lost on me. I do have some Cannas that are doing well.

Dottie - There is no telling. I do compost so it is a fine possibility I dropped something there. The visual of a lettuce path to the compost bin is definitely giggle worthy.

Canna - Haha, yer just full of funny in this thread. You'll definitely get a kick out of the grass garden I am growing up on the left side of the flower bed. We have a huge grassy lump in the yard with a few Cannas poking out. The sunflowers aren't so bad though. They are shallow rooted at least and once you pull them all up they are gone. Those mint roots are sneaky though. You pull them all up, it rains, and they magically reappear. You have to almost sift the dirt to remove every little tiny piece to eradicate it.

I will say one thing though, when it covered that hill it was beautiful. Too bad it choked out everything else on that hill!

Aezarian, the fact that you never watched American Idol only increases my esteem and respect for you!

I bet it was pretty!
I have to admit...I have a few grass issues of my own at the moment.
While I was out picking veggies yesterday I had to wade through the grass taller than my greenbeans to pick them. lol
Someone told me if I don't get the beds looking better they were going to mow them over.....and I think my neighbor to the back has had the guy who works for him spray weed killer on his side...which has now come over to my side....so as long as the tomatoes back there make it ill be happy with powing over the rest.

I'm always full of funny. lol

Do you have Hot lips or maraschino? Salvia? lol
I bought some today and will share if you don't have any. :O) Perhaps for a maxamillion sunflower. hehe

On a funny note....I bought 9 bags of lava rock today thinking I might be able to cover 1/3 of my greenhouse foundation.....um no. lol 9 bags filled in one square. lol
At this rate...9 bags down.....71 bags to go...woohoo! lol

Les gave me some of those Salvia last fall and I don't know why but they decided they were not going to come back this spring. Carol's are doing beautifully though. So again, I am a little jealous lol.

That bottom doesn't seem as big until you start filling it up.
You need to get someone with a truck to bring you a few scoops of river rock from Buffalo Valley. It would be a LOT cheaper than bagged stuff. I would offer but the brakes are not so good on the truck and I worry about all of that weight with bad brakes.

After an exhaustive search on craigslist....I found a place in Cramerton that costs $20.00/truckload.
I am hoping that it only takes a load or two to fill in so I can start erecting the actual frame today. lol Then it's on to Lowe's from bracing materials. lol

The cheap greenhouse has turned into an investment...but, it's still way cheaper than any other greenhouse that size.....and I got it on sale...and used a coupon..... so I need to shut it! lol

If you decide you'd like some, let me know. The greenhouse near me has their plants bogo now.

Hey Canna, Howdy Tina,
Canna, that stuff you are talking about taking over your yard is pennywort and I would like some of it LOL.

Tina, I can't believe you are still fighting with that mint BUT then again yes I can. I had planted it once, and it come up for YEARS even away from where I had it planted to start with.
I DID manage to knock out 99% of it before we finally moved BUT I bet it is taking over that place now that I have been gone for 3 years.
I am sure you know Sedums do really well here in our beautiful clay too right? Spiderwort does ok too.
Hydrangeas do too. Most bush/shrub type things do well.
Hey, do you want a Lilac bush?

OK, well, I need to be doing something else. So I guess I better go get it done. Have a great weekend everyone!!!

:) Fran

Canna - You'll have to ask them how much "truckload" means to see what you need. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet and a cubic foot will fill an area 12' X 12' X 12'. A 10 X 12 is 120 square feet so if you wanted it a foot deep you would need almost 4.5 cubic yards. At six inches deep you would need half of that which would be 2.25 cubic yards. six inches would give you two inches of gravel over those 2X4 braces you installed which would compensate also for whatever you choose to put in there to walk on...assuming you have a level surface under the greenhouse. 3 cubic yards will fit on the back of a truck in one run.

We paid $1200 delivered for our greenhouse and then, because it isn't exactly portable, had to pay to get it moved when we moved. AND.. you should have seen us trying to move that thing across the yard.

Fran - The only places I am not fighting mint still are the places I actually dug the bed to the ground and sifted through the dirt to remove every single root. I have one patch that expands from that patch but have been making sure to clip and burn the flowers when they sprout and dig and remove as much root as I can get when they do pop up. It is A LOT better but I still have a ways to go of course.

The sedums do seem to like it out here. Speaking of which, I have some of that white sedum set aside for you. I don't have a name for it but it is white! I had a variegated hydrangea that didn't make it in the greenhouse this winter. I was kind of sad about that.

I can always use some shrubby type items. You'll have to stop by and see what I have to trade with you. :)

I think your identification of Pennywort may be correct.
You can not kill this crap....and when I dug out bushes and pulled them into the yard......the bushes are gone...but the pennywort that was in the dirt surrounding the bushes are now in my yard where the rootball stood. rrrrrrr

Why on earth would you want this invasive stuff? lol

The greenhouse is going up as we speak. We laid out enough to cover the floor to within 1 inch or so of the lip of the base...so we would have enough room to clamp on the clips.
I will just go back little by little and fill it up the rest of the way.
I am going to build my benches out of pressure treated lumber attached to those floor braces....so i'll finish that project up before i go back and fill in with the rest of the gravel.

It smells like a giant fish tank....lol

I forgot all about this article in last months Garden Gate newsletter...

It's a slideshow of clay loving plants...thought you might find it useful.
( My new obcession is finding some Martagon lilies!)

http://www.gardengatenotes.com/2009/06/23/slide-show-clay-loving-plants/

Here is a link that might be useful: Clay loving plants