These plants have been selected because their preferred growing condition is acidic soil. 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 Epimedium and Gentiana provide some groundcover and will help prevent erosion of bare soil. The groundcover can also help to reduce evaporative moisture loss 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 - Abies koreana ‘Silberlocke’

2 - Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’

3 - Epimedium x warleyensis

4 - Gentiana ‘Strathmore’

5 - Gaultheria mucronata ‘Bell’s Seedling’

6 - Corylopsis pauciflora

2 - Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’ is a large, spreading, open shrub. The green leaves turn red and yellow in autumn, and fragrant, bright yellow flower tassels festoon the bare stems in late winter.

3 - Epimedium x warleyense is a hardy perennial forming a spreading evergreen mound of divided leaves, held on thin wiry stems. These often have strong red tints, especially when young. It bears sprays of coppery red and yellow flowers in spring.

4 - Gentiana ‘Strathmore’ is a mat-forming herbaceous perennial with narrow green leaves and sky-blue, funnel-shaped flowers with paler stripes in autumn.

5 - Gaultheria mucronata ‘Bell’s Seedling’ is a small, dense evergreen shrub with tiny dark leaves and clusters of small white flowers in late spring and early summer. These ripen into dark crimson berries in autumn.

6 - Corylopsis pauciflora is a deciduous shrub with green leaves that are tinged red when young. It has fragrant, pale yellow, bell-shaped flowers, which open before the leaves in spring.