Quite a lot of us in the UK have heavy clay soil which is full of nutrition, but some of your plant choices need to be adapted to thrive in these heavier conditions.

Lots of people love Lavender which is a fragrant, beautiful & a traditional cottage garden plant. However, it will often struggle to thrive in heavy clay soil because the drainage just isn’t sharp enough.

Let me introduce you to a great alternative which is Nepeta. Starting with Nepeta racemosa ‘Walkers Low’ which has a similar habit to Lavender, in that it has purple spires of fragrant flowers over a mound of bluey green foliage. This will die back over winter but will shoot back up in the spring. ‘Walkers Low’ is not a low growing plant but the name 'Low' refers to the Yorkshire term for hill. It can grow to 60cms or taller depending in the conditions of your soil. Once the first flush of flowers is over cut it back hard to just a couple of inches tall and within a couple of weeks the second flush of flowers will begin again giving you a long season of interest.

Nepeta also has the common name of catmint and some kitties can be driven to a state of euphoria by the scent. If you have this issue try some of the grandiflora types because they have a different range of volatile oils and these may not be as attractive to your feline friends. So, rather than planting an expensive mattress for your cat, go for the grandiflora types like Nepeta grandiflora ‘Dawn to Dusk’ which has pink flower spikes. Nepetas have different flower colours ranging from white, yellow, though pink and blue to deep purple.

If you like the idea of Nepeta but feel you may have too much shade, you can opt for the shade loving forms like Nepeta subsessilis ‘Pink Dream’s and Nepeta subsessilis ‘Blue Dreams’. These have larger leaves and flowers and grow to approx. 50cms. Some of them do far better in shade rather than just tolerating it. They are ideal for mid-border and poor soil in part shade. The shade loving Nepetas can be deeper in colour which will impart a bit of drama to your shadier sites.

Late summer into autumn a very special form of Nepeta becomes available. This is Nepeta govaniana and is a tall semi-shade tolerant plant with large pale-yellow flowers and is an absolute stand out star. The flowers are similarly shaped to some of the larger southern hemisphere Salvias and it is a lemon-scented magnet for moths and butterflies.

Claire Mitchell is 'The Garden Editor', a well respected horticulturist based in Overton. She also has worked with us at the nursery on Tuesdays during the Summer. Claire has a background in sustainability and led the legal team of the UK Government on renewable energy and climate change . She is also a trustee of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture. To view her website click on the following link Sustainable Gardening | The Garden Editor | Overton