Plants for a garden with acid soil in shade

Plenty of plants, of a variety of shapes, sizes and colours, thrive in the lower pH of acidic – or ericaceous - soil so it's possible to create a full and attractive border even in these sometimes challenging conditions

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Pieris, Rhododendron and Cornus kousa thrive in acid soils
Pieris, Rhododendron and Cornus kousa thrive in acid soils

Quick facts

  • For some plants acidic soil is essential and these are often refered to as ericaceous plants
  • Ericaceous soil can be bought to plant acid-loving plants in pots on your patio
  • Acid conditions are produced by the underlying rock-type which is not something which can be easily altered, so best to use plants that naturally prefer the soil type

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The planting plan

James Lawrence, RHS Principal Horticultural Advisor, has designed this simple, attractive, and most importantly, sustainable, border design for you to try at home with plants that are easy to grow, widely available and look good together.
This planting design, provides a range of plants that once established, will thrive in shade and acidic soil, while still providing a variety of interest throughout the year. A simple planting plan helps create depth, interest and good coverage in a border.

Plants for acid soil in shade

© James Lawrence

Choosing plants for acid soil in shade

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 reduce the potential problems that are more likely with plants which are less well suited.
The fairly dense planting and the spreading habit of the Gaultheria and Liriope, provide groundcover and will help prevent erosion of bare soil. The groundcover can also help to reduce soil surface moisture evaporation and suppress weed growth. Additional organic mulching can further improve soil moisture retention and weed suppression.
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’ 
1 - Taxus baccata ‘Standishii’ is a dense columnar Yew with rich green-yellow leaves. It is a female variety, so may have red berries later in the year.
2 - Camellia japonica ‘Wilamina’ has glossy dark evergreen 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. It 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 - Leucathoe ‘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 which has glossy evergreen leaves and light red flowers in spring.

About acidic or ericaceous soil, and shade

Acidic soils can be found all over the country in pockets, but are more generally found in south-western England, Wales and Scotland. The low pH is caused by the underlying bedrock. It is easy to check your soil's pH using a kit bought from a garden centre but can often be judged by the plants which already thrive in the soil near you. 
Shade, which means a low light availability, suits some plants – often those with dark green, leathery leaves.
By choosing plants which are well-suited to acid soils and shade, you can keep your border looking good and growing well because, planted in the right place, plants tend to be stronger and more naturally resistant to pests and disease. Also, once established, well-suited plants will reduce the need for extra water and fertilisers that less well-adapted plants would need.

The challenge of growing on acidic soil in shade

Strongly acidic soil can make it hard for some mineral nutrients to be taken up by plant roots – meaning they can’t grow and develop well. However if your plants have adapted to naturally thrive in those conditions, they will grow much better. 
Excess shade makes it harder for plants to photosynthesise so are slow to grow and may be pale. Partial shade will affect different plants to different degrees.

Why choose a sustainable planting combination

Using the ethos of 'right plant, right place' to create a sustainable planting combination, is a great for the environment. It helps avoid waste and the use of products and practices needed to try and help ailing plants, such as the application of fertiliser. It also creates robust, long-lived planting that benefits soil health and garden biodiversity.

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