Five plants for a clay soil border

More advice on gardening on clay soil:

• 10 flowers for clay soil
• Small trees and shrubs for heavy and clay soils
• Tips for growing garlic in clay soil

Make the most of a heavy soil, with this selection of border plants.

Rosa 'Thomas á Becket'

Roses grow well in clay soil, and there are lots of types and colours to choose from. Rosa 'Thomas á Becket' has crimson flowers and a loose, shrubby shape, which will work nicely in this informal scheme. If you're looking to plant a new rose, go for a disease-resistant variety like this one.

Height x spread: 1.2m x 1m.

Lonicera periclymenum 'Serotina'

This is a fast-growing, shrubby climber with masses of highly scented, tubular flowers from July to October. Its two-tone blooms are yellow with dark purple-red streaks. 'Serotina' grows best with its roots shaded and its head in the sun, so aim to grow plants in front of it to shelter the rootball.

H x S: 8m x 1.5m.

Alchemilla mollis

Lady's mantle, Alchemilla mollis, is a fine ground cover plant that can grow nearly anywhere. Its velvety, scallop-shaped leaves hold water droplets beautifully, while in summer its frothy lime-green flowers bring a lightness to the border and seem to intensify other colours. It's a prolific self-seeder, too.

H x S: 50cm x 50cm.

Lychnis coronaria Atrosanguinea Group

Lychnis coronaria is a fantastic short-lived perennial, lasting around two years, but often self-seeds. The leaves are slender and woolly, and the flowers bright magenta. It's long-flowering if regularly deadheaded, beginning the display from midsummer onwards.

H x S: 1m x 50cm.

Astrantia major 'Claret'

Astrantias are summer-flowering perennials that grow well on clay soil in sun or partial shade, so they're ideal for linking areas together. 'Claret' is a showy variety with ruby-red flowers held high on dark stems above foliage that's dark green and deeply lobed.

H x S: 1m x 50cm.

Border care plan

Buying and planting

• Dig over the soil well and incorporate plenty of organic material and grit to make it workable and improve drainage and moisture retention
• Give the honeysuckle support to climb up
• If planning for next year, buy a bare-root rose in autumn as it's cheaper than a container plant

Year-round maintenance

• Mulch the border each spring with organic matter such as well-rotted farmyard manure
• Cut back the astrantia and alchemilla when the flowers have faded and are starting to look shabby, and lift and divide large clumps in spring
• Cut back the honeysuckle by about a third after flowering to keep it tidy
• Prune the rose in winter, taking stems back by a third and creating an open shape
• The lychnis is short-lived, so replant as necessary or let it self-seed, and then cut back or pull it out
• Give all plants a feed as they come into flower

Creating more plants for free

• Save money and sow alchemilla and lychnis seeds in pots in spring to plant out in early summer. They will also self-seed freely, so you can collect the seeds and sow again in spring
• Take hardwood cuttings of the rose
• Propagate the honeysuckle in autumn by layering: bend a low stem down to the soil, peg in place until it roots, then cut from the plant and transplant