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Acidic and low pH tolerant plants... More choices than you may think.
become stronger pink in colour in the colder months. Easy to clip into shape and drought tolerant once established.
Shrub Options. Grasses Options.
Grass choices for acidic soils again cover a range of heights from a ground hugging Carex to tall majestic Miscanthus with a few options in between.
Carex provides all year-round interest with arching habits. Ranging in foliage colour from steely blue to broadly striped cream or yellow margined leaves they are a great choice for front of border.
Miscanthus on the other hand are tall, handsome and rather upright in habit and provide much appreciated height and silver or russet coloured flower plumes in the late autumn.
As soil is always the deciding factor in plant choice and always should be to avoid plant stress and allow plants to thrive, selecting plants according to the soil is the automatic starting point.
If something more tropical is what is needed then Campsis will happily produce large trumpet shaped flowers of orange to scarlet to yellow, dependent on variety towards the end of the summer and into autumn.
For a long flowering season and ACIDIC AND LOW PH Herbaceous Plant Options. Agapanthus may not be the first choice to come to mind when selecting plants for acidic soils but glossy evergreen foliage Abelia is an excellent option. Equally happy planted in large swathes on commercial projects or as informal TOLERANT PLANTS. they are surprisingly tolerant and will happily produce flowers in late summer. With a huge array of flowering heights and colours there plants in domestic gardens. Once established Abelia will flower from June through to September in profusion and are drought tolerant MORE CHOICES THAN YOU MAY THINK is bound to be an Agapanthus choice that suits your scheme. too.
For something a little out of this world and early colour Edgeworthia For willowing waving beds of will produce a burst of alien looking interest in the autumn Anemone will scented flowers early in the spring. happily thrive in an acidic soil and fill the late summer and autumnal
More commonly found but still days with plenty of tall flowers on vastly under-used are Crinodendron elegant stems. with large lantern shaped flowers that droop down in clusters. For something smaller and robust
Reaching up to 2.5m in height with winter colour Bergenia will
Crinodendron are a great option for fit the bill hugging the ground with a backdrop plant. leathery leaves that will thrive in shade.
If the soil you have to work with is acidic, ericaceous or low pH don’t look at that as restricting your plant options. Far from it. All is not lost. There are many plant options to choose from that sit happily amongst Rhododendrons and Azaleas providing colour, contrast and some rather interesting and surprising choices. Both Rhododendrons and Azaleas have a lot to offer with a myriad of flower colours, contrasting leaf colours and some deciduous Azaleas have an absolute knockout scent and stunning autumn foliage to boot. But looking further afield there are some surprising plant options to also consider that tolerate acidic soil and low pH. Check out some options provided by Provender Nurseries highlighted below.
Tree Options.
Liquidambar styraciflua are mainly grown for their stunning autumn foliage and interesting corky-like bark. Many reach huge heights and are excellent choices for public spaces as they can also tolerate pollution well. Of particular interest are; Liquidambar styraciflua Slender Silhouette, a recent introduction with a slim upright habit reaching up to 18m but only 2m in width. If something smaller is what is required then Liquidambar styraciflua Gum Ball may fit the bill. A dwarf Liquidambar forming a compact, rounded tree grafted onto a clear stem at a 2m height. Perfect for smaller gardens or creating a formal look. Gleditsia is tolerant of low pH soils and is another pollution tolerant
option for urban areas. Alongside the well known ‘Sunburst’ is a new introduction ‘Skyline’ that has a rounded canopy and an upright habit creating a good size crown perfect for creating shade.
Hedging Options.
Ilex crenata is an excellent hedging option and is rapidly outselling Buxus as a compact, evergreen fuss free hedging plant. Available in a Climbing Plant Options. range of sizes and similar to Buxus Covering the walls, trellis, pergola or Fern Options. in appearance, Ilex crenata is a any upright structure when planting great substitute. There are so many Ferns for acidic soil cover a spectrum in ericaceous soil gives more options of heights, frond colour and both different options to choose from than you may think. that Ilex crenata could cover an evergreen and deciduous providing interest in many areas. article alone! Akebia quinate and the Cream Form will provide semi-evergreen 5 lobed There is no doubting the drama of For something with more colour leaves with clusters of flowers. and foliage appeal, Pittosporum are Osmunda regalis uncurling its giant Straight Akebia quinate smells of acid green fronds in the spring. It surprisingly tolerant of low pH soils. chocolate while the Cream Form Pittosporum tenuifolium Elizabeth is also a useful plant choice for wet smells of vanilla. Perfect for use in soils. has wavy edged evergreen foliage any eating establishments! with cream – pink leaf margins that
Blechnum spicant is an evergreen fern with dark green leathery fronds reaching a height of only 45cm and is another good choice for shaded areas. Polystichum are also a group of hardy native ferns that cover a wide range of frond shape and heights. The list of plants above for acidic soil is not exhaustive with many other options available. Check out our Resources page on Provender Nurseries’ website for other factsheets to cover other common issues.
www.provendernurseries.co.uk/ resources/general-factsheets www.provendernurseries.co.uk
become stronger pink in colour in the colder months. Easy to clip into shape and drought tolerant once established.
Shrub Options. Grasses Options.
Grass choices for acidic soils again cover a range of heights from a ground hugging Carex to tall majestic Miscanthus with a few options in between.
Carex provides all year-round interest with arching habits. Ranging in foliage colour from steely blue to broadly striped cream or yellow margined leaves they are a great choice for front of border.
Miscanthus on the other hand are tall, handsome and rather upright in habit and provide much appreciated height and silver or russet coloured flower plumes in the late autumn.
As soil is always the deciding factor in plant choice and always should be to avoid plant stress and allow plants to thrive, selecting plants according to the soil is the automatic starting point.
If something more tropical is what is needed then Campsis will happily produce large trumpet shaped flowers of orange to scarlet to yellow, dependent on variety towards the end of the summer and into autumn.
For a long flowering season and ACIDIC AND LOW PH Herbaceous Plant Options. Agapanthus may not be the first choice to come to mind when selecting plants for acidic soils but glossy evergreen foliage Abelia is an excellent option. Equally happy planted in large swathes on commercial projects or as informal TOLERANT PLANTS. they are surprisingly tolerant and will happily produce flowers in late summer. With a huge array of flowering heights and colours there plants in domestic gardens. Once established Abelia will flower from June through to September in profusion and are drought tolerant MORE CHOICES THAN YOU MAY THINK is bound to be an Agapanthus choice that suits your scheme. too.
For something a little out of this world and early colour Edgeworthia For willowing waving beds of will produce a burst of alien looking interest in the autumn Anemone will scented flowers early in the spring. happily thrive in an acidic soil and fill the late summer and autumnal
More commonly found but still days with plenty of tall flowers on vastly under-used are Crinodendron elegant stems. with large lantern shaped flowers that droop down in clusters. For something smaller and robust
Reaching up to 2.5m in height with winter colour Bergenia will
Crinodendron are a great option for fit the bill hugging the ground with a backdrop plant. leathery leaves that will thrive in shade.
If the soil you have to work with is acidic, ericaceous or low pH don’t look at that as restricting your plant options. Far from it. All is not lost. There are many plant options to choose from that sit happily amongst Rhododendrons and Azaleas providing colour, contrast and some rather interesting and surprising choices. Both Rhododendrons and Azaleas have a lot to offer with a myriad of flower colours, contrasting leaf colours and some deciduous Azaleas have an absolute knockout scent and stunning autumn foliage to boot. But looking further afield there are some surprising plant options to also consider that tolerate acidic soil and low pH. Check out some options provided by Provender Nurseries highlighted below.
Tree Options.
Liquidambar styraciflua are mainly grown for their stunning autumn foliage and interesting corky-like bark. Many reach huge heights and are excellent choices for public spaces as they can also tolerate pollution well. Of particular interest are; Liquidambar styraciflua Slender Silhouette, a recent introduction with a slim upright habit reaching up to 18m but only 2m in width. If something smaller is what is required then Liquidambar styraciflua Gum Ball may fit the bill. A dwarf Liquidambar forming a compact, rounded tree grafted onto a clear stem at a 2m height. Perfect for smaller gardens or creating a formal look. Gleditsia is tolerant of low pH soils and is another pollution tolerant
option for urban areas. Alongside the well known ‘Sunburst’ is a new introduction ‘Skyline’ that has a rounded canopy and an upright habit creating a good size crown perfect for creating shade.
Hedging Options.
Ilex crenata is an excellent hedging option and is rapidly outselling Buxus as a compact, evergreen fuss free hedging plant. Available in a Climbing Plant Options. range of sizes and similar to Buxus Covering the walls, trellis, pergola or Fern Options. in appearance, Ilex crenata is a any upright structure when planting great substitute. There are so many Ferns for acidic soil cover a spectrum in ericaceous soil gives more options of heights, frond colour and both different options to choose from than you may think. that Ilex crenata could cover an evergreen and deciduous providing interest in many areas. article alone! Akebia quinate and the Cream Form will provide semi-evergreen 5 lobed There is no doubting the drama of For something with more colour leaves with clusters of flowers. and foliage appeal, Pittosporum are Osmunda regalis uncurling its giant Straight Akebia quinate smells of acid green fronds in the spring. It surprisingly tolerant of low pH soils. chocolate while the Cream Form Pittosporum tenuifolium Elizabeth is also a useful plant choice for wet smells of vanilla. Perfect for use in soils. has wavy edged evergreen foliage any eating establishments! with cream – pink leaf margins that
Blechnum spicant is an evergreen fern with dark green leathery fronds reaching a height of only 45cm and is another good choice for shaded areas. Polystichum are also a group of hardy native ferns that cover a wide range of frond shape and heights. The list of plants above for acidic soil is not exhaustive with many other options available. Check out our Resources page on Provender Nurseries’ website for other factsheets to cover other common issues.
