Will shallow soil prevent plants from growing well?

paddylonglegs

I fear the answer is yes but someone may be able to advise.

I have cleared an old deck area and have started digging the ground at the back of my house (north facing)

When I started to dig down, unfortunately I hit fairly hard ground about a foot down (30cm). This is made up of hard clay and stones and was really difficult to dig into with a fork. The beds will be around 3 meters long x 1 metre wide at its widest.

I have been planning this garden for a long while, with it having an exotic theme mixed with perennials suited to shade. Plants consist of the following:

Begonia
Hosta
Ferns
Crocosmia

Lily
Dahlia
Hot poker
Euphorbia

Fatsia japonica
Canna plants
Trachycarpus
Bamboo nigra
Banana musa Basjoo
Tree fern



I’m worried now that these plants won’t grow to their full potential with the restriction of soil base as I really wanted these plants to get to a good height, but now they will likely be competing against each other.

Any advise on what I could do here? Will the plants suffer or stay small due to lack of depth?

magicbastarder

the vast majority of plants should be fine in soil a foot deep.

Lumen

That depth is completely normal.

paddylonglegs

Lumen wrote: »

That depth is completely normal.

Interesting, I thought the plants would be competing with each with less space downwards

Thanks for that

_Brian

30cm soil will doo just fine.

We’re gardening and farming here on 10-12cm of topsoil.

magicbastarder

i was in derryclare wood in galway a few years back, after a storm had blown through. it's an (i think) ancient woodland, of oak, and the soil was less than a foot thick.

paddylonglegs

Ok this is all good reports. Thanks folks!

Hocus Focus

I live in North County Dublin, famed for its horticulture and (controversially picked) strawberries, and the topsoil around here is only about a foot deep.