Plants for gardens with acid soil

A wide variety of plants 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 

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Plants such as rhododendrons and camellias enjoy acidic soils
Plants such as rhododendrons and camellias enjoy acidic soils

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

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 pastel shades planting design provides a range of plants that, once established, will thrive in 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 pastel shades

© James Lawrence

Choosing plants for acid soil

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 heathers Erica and Calluna, and the Glandora, provide some groundcover and will help prevent erosion of bare soil. The groundcover can also help to reduce moisture loss by evaporation 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 - Enkianthus campanulatus 
2 - Rhododendron ‘Percy Wiseman’
3 - Pieris japonica ‘Debutante’  
4 - Calluna vulgaris ‘Kerstin’
5 - Glandora prostrata ‘Grace Ward’ 
6 - Erica carnea ‘March Seedling’
7 - Pieris japonica ‘Valley Valentine’
8 - Rhododendron ‘Penheale Blue’
1 - Enkianthus campanulatus is a deciduous shrub with small leaves that turn bright red, orange and yellow in autumn. In late spring, it has clusters of small cream or reddish bell-shaped flowers.

2 - Rhododendron ‘Percy Wiseman’ is an evergreen shrub with glossy, dark foliage and rounded trusses of pink-flushed cream flowers, which fade to creamy white in mid-spring.

3 - Pieris japonica ‘Debutante’ is an evergreen shrub with dark pink flower buds through winter, which open in spring as upright, pale pink-white sprays of urn-shaped flowers.

4 - Calluna vulgaris ‘Kerstin’ is an acid-loving heather that makes a colourful evergreen groundcover, with mauve flowers from late summer into autumn.

5 - Glandora prostrata ‘Grace Ward’ is an evergreen creeping shrub with abundant, vivid blue, star-shaped flowers in late spring and summer.

6 - Erica carnea ‘March Seedling’ is a heather with pink flowers in spring. It is not so acid-dependent but complements the flowering season of the Calluna.

7 - Pieris japonica ‘Valley Valentine’ is a bushy evergreen shrub with dark green leaves and drooping panicles of deep, dusky red flowers in spring.

8 - Rhododendron ‘Penheale Blue’ is an evergreen shrub with clusters of tubular, pale-centred violet-blue flowers in late spring.

About acidic or ericaceous soil

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 you can often get a good indication from the plants that already thrive in the soil near you. 
 

The challenge of growing on acidic soils

Strongly acidic soil can make it hard for some mineral nutrients to be taken up by plant roots, meaning the plants can’t grow and develop well. However, if your plants have adapted to naturally thrive in those conditions, they will grow much better. 
 

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 to 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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