Soil

I live by the sea and am not particularly fond of natives, can you tell me what I could plant in the way of annuals and perennials? My garden is in full sun, has a clay soil and gets quite dry.

If you improve the structure of your soil you could plant almost anything in your garden. I would recommend digging a soil conditioner, peat, compost and gypsum (all available from garden centres) through your soil to improve its structure.

The soil conditioner will adjust the condition of your clay and mean you could plant any of the annuals or perennials available at Awapuni Nurseries. Remember, when you replant your annuals you will need to re-condition your soil.
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Stones have been placed around the outside of my house for the last tenant. Can you give me advice on how to make the soil healthy again once uncovered?

Once you have uncovered the stones, you will need to cover the area with organic compost, lime and gypsum due to the soil being 'sour'. When adding lime to your soil, remember that using too much could change your future planted hydrangeas pink. Make sure you use just enough to 'sweeten' the soil. The instructions on the back of the lime packet will advise you on quantity. For good results, scratch Nitrophoska Blue fertilizer into the soil around your plants.
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Vegetables