Improving the soil

[Madasafish]

We had similar issues when we bought our 180 year old house in 1982.. the former old road had been converted to vegetable garden with a 0.5 meter layer of clay and a thin topsoil.

After 30 odd years , the topsoil is now about 0.5meters deep and friable.. ideal for growing.

In essence :
no deep digging...
about a 20cm layer of manure to begin with for three years , gently dug in, then lots of home made compost/decomposed leaves, kitchen waste (in daleks) dug in, and old compost from tomatoes/hanging baskets. And shred all garden woody material.

NO DEEP DIGGING..

Still doing the garden composting etc..A large garden (>0.3acres) with trees so three big compost heaps and recycling as we go..Works a treat..

Still some clay but far less than there was.

[Argonaut]

Unfortunately not an option for me ... these are established flower beds .... I can't put 20cm of compost on it ... it would smother the flowers.
I did suggest lifting all plants and digging the soil out - treating and replacing - wife is totally against that.
Hence trying the 'spot' treatment approach.
I will continue with the augered vertical 'pipes' ... filled 1/3rd grit 2/3 sand .. and top dressing the beds with compost.

[ESBkevin]

I can understand the predicement, but burying rocks and sand will eventually fill those 'sinks' with silt (it might take years though) so they no longer work and you're back to the start with more 'stuff' buried in your flower beds.
Bore out and fill with compostables and nature expands those drain holes down further and out horizontaly. Also they become first class growing medium, just keep piling it on the top each year with new bores when old plants come out.

If you are doubtful do both methods each end of the bed and report back in a year, and again in another year, it would be interestinmg to hear your opinion then.

[vixylix]

question Argonaut... if your wife's flowers are in there and growing well, do you need to do anything with the soil? I assume there are areas you want to plant other things in, but then you could just treat those areas and leave her flowers in situ? If there are gaps in amongst the flowers that you want to use, could you temporarily resite all the flowers in to one half of the border(s), then move them to do the other half?