Plants for a shady garden with acid soil
Plenty of plants, of a variety of shapes, sizes and colours, thrive in the lower pH of acidic – or ericaceous – soil, so it’s perfectly possible to create a full and attractive border even in these sometimes challenging conditions
Quick facts
- For some plants, acidic soil is essential for them to thrive – these are often referred to as ericaceous plants
- Acid conditions are produced by the underlying rock type, which is outside of gardener control, so it’s best to use plants that naturally prefer these soil conditions
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The planting plan
This planting design provides a range of plants that, once established, will thrive in shade and acidic soil to provide a variety of interest throughout the year. A simple planting plan helps to create depth, interest and good coverage in a border.
Plants for acid soil in shade
Choosing plants for a shady garden with acid soil
These plants have been selected because their preferred growing conditions are acidic soil in some shade. By using plants that are naturally adapted to these conditions, we can enjoy healthier plants and lower inputs compared with trying to grow plants that are less well suited.
The fairly dense planting and spreading habit of the Gaultheria and Liriope provide groundcover and will help prevent erosion of bare soil. The groundcover can also help to reduce evaporative loss of moisture from the soil surface and suppress weed growth.
Additional organic mulching, preferably with homemade compost, can further improve soil moisture retention and weed suppression. Mulches should be spread when the soil is already moist, to help trap some of that moisture before it dries out in summer.
1 - Taxus baccata ‘Standishii’
2 - Camellia japonica ‘Wilamina’
3 - Andromeda polifolia ‘Compacta’
4 - Liriope muscari
5 - Cotoneaster salicifolius ‘Gnom’
6 - Leucothoe ‘Scarletta’
7 - Pieris japonica ‘Prelude’
8 - Camellia japonica ‘Freedom Bell’
2 - Camellia japonica ‘Wilamina’ is an evergreen shrub with glossy dark foliage and neat, pale-edged pink flowers in mid to late spring.
3 - Andromeda polifolia ‘Compacta’ is a small evergreen shrub with rosemary-like leaves and sturdy little round pink flowers in late spring.
4 - Liriope muscari has upright, leathery, grass-like leaves and spikes of purple flowers followed by black berries. This perennial spreads to form broad clumps.
5 - Cotoneaster salicifolius ‘Gnom’ acts as an evergreen groundcover and has small white and pink flowers in summer, followed by scarlet berries.
6 - Leucothoe ‘Scarletta’ has arching stems with glossy leaves. These are dark red when young, maturing to dark green with bright red edges, then turning bronze to burgundy-red in winter. Small pitcher-shaped white flowers are borne along the stems in late spring.
7 - Pieris japonica ‘Prelude’ is a compact evergreen shrub with dark green, leathery leaves. Clusters of white urn-shaped flowers open from pink buds in late spring.
8 - Camellia japonica ‘Freedom Bell’ is an evergreen shrub with glossy leaves and light red flowers in spring.
About acidic or ericaceous soil and shade
Shade, which means a low light availability, suits some plants – often those with dark green, leathery leaves.
By choosing plants that are well suited to acid soils and shade, you can keep your border looking good and growing well, because plants that are planted in the right place tend to be stronger and more naturally resistant to pests and disease. Once established, well-suited plants will also require lower inputs of water and fertilisers that less well-adapted plants would need.
The challenge of growing on acidic soil in shade
Excess shade makes it harder for plants to photosynthesise, so they are slower to grow and may be pale. Partial shade will affect different plants to different degrees – some plants are much better adapted to growing in shade than others.
Why choose a sustainable planting combination
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