Plants for acid soil

Plants that cope with acid soil, with size and aspect for each.

Acid soil, with a pH below about 6.5, opens the door to a whole group of ericaceous plants that simply will not grow on lime: rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, pieris, Japanese acers and the heathers. Keep it that way by mulching with leaf mould, composted bark or ericaceous matter, and avoid mushroom compost or lime. Many of these plants are woodland natives that also want shelter and a moisture-retentive, humus-rich root run, so combine acid-loving with shade-tolerant where the two overlap. Do not let the ground dry out in summer. The plants here are selected to make the most of acid ground, from spring-flowering shrubs to autumn-colour specimens.

Border Builder is a garden border planner for iPhone and iPad. Pick from the 215 plants below and it works them into a full plan: how many of each, where they go, and how the bed reads through the seasons.

215 plants for this

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