Plants for gardens with acid soil

A wide variety of plants 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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Plants for acidic soils
Plants for acidic 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 pastel-shaded planting design, provides a range of plants that, once established, will thrive in acidic soil and still provide a variety of interest throughout the year. A simple planting plan helps create depth, interest and good coverage in a border.

Acid soil, 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 this condition, we can reduce the potential problems that are more likely with plants which 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 soil surface moisture evaporation and suppress weed growth. Additional organic mulching can further improve soil moisture retention and weed suppression.
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 which 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’ has glossy dark evergreen foliage and rounded trusses of pink-flushed cream flowers, fading to creamy-white in mid-spring.
3 - Pieris japonica ‘Debutante’ an evergreen shrub with dark pink flower buds through winter, opening in spring as upright, pale pink-white sprays of urn-shaped flowers.
4 - Calluna vulgaris ‘Kerstin’ is an acid-loving heather with mauve flowers in late summer into autumn.
5 - Glandora prostrata ‘Grace Ward’ 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 Calluna flowering season.
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 which has clusters of broadly funnelled 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 can often be judged by the plants which 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 they 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 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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