[Arid_gardener] Soil

[Kelly Conroy]

I have a flower bed in front of the north side of my house.  It contains
3 rose bushes that are pretty established.  The problem I have is that
the soil is very clay-like and tends to dry up and crackle.  It looks
awful.  What do I need to add to it to prevent the crackling?  

I was thinking about removing the bed entirely and building it up with a
flagstone wall and then filling it again with another type of soil, but
I'm concerned the rose bushes will die if I change out the soil.  Should
I be concerned and, if not, then what type of soil should I use when I
refill it.

~ Kelly