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Know Your Soil

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Increase your success with plants.

Ph

Acidic Soil: Use a PH test kit. Typical weeds - Dock, Thistle, Daisy and Creeping Buttercup. Rhododendrons and Azaleas flourish with no foliage yellowing. Add lime if you want to reduce acidity.
perfect plants - Heathers, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Kalmias, Pieris, Camellia, Skimmia, Pernettya, Leucothoe, Magnolia, Gaultheria and Gentian.

Alkaline Soil Use a PH test kit. Typical weeds - Clover and Knapweed. Rhododendrons and Azaleas show foliage yellowing. Add peat to increase acidity.
perfect plants - Buddleia, Callicarpa, Choisya, Cytisus, Daphne, Escallonia, Euonymous, Hydrangea, Paeonies, Mahonia, Holly, Pyracantha, Spiraea, Viburnum and Mock Orange.

Neutral Soil Use PH test kit. Typical weeds - Stinging nettles, Sow-Thistle, Fat Hen, chickweed and Groundsel. You are lucky because you can grow almost anything.

Structure and Composition

Poorly Drained Soil: Surface covered with moss and green slime and rushes and sedges.Improve by adding matter (stable manure, etc.) and calcium (in the form of lime or calcified seaweed.)Break up any underlying compacted soil. Tolerant plants - Cornus, Salix, Sambucus, Amelanchier, Spirea Veitchii and Viburnum Opulus.

Chalky Soil: Add organic matter and seaweed meal regularly. Tolerant plants - Aucuba, Callicarpa, Ceanothus, Catalpa, Eleagnus, Forsythia, Hypericum, Photinia, Rosemary, Weigela, and Yucca.

Heavy Clay Soil: Dig in the Autumn to allow frost to break it up. Add organic matter in Autumn. Lime in February. Tolerant plants - Aucuba, Abelia, Berberis, Choisya, Cotoneaster, Kerria, Osmanthus, Philadelphus, Pyracantha, Rhododendron, Skimmia, Viburnum, Weigela, and Ribes.

Light Sandy Soil: Add plenty of organic matter in late Winter/Spring. Add fertiliser in Spring/Summer. Mulch plants well. Tolerant plants - Artmisia, Cistus, Cytisus, Helichrysum, Hibiscus, Lavender, Potentilla, Rosemary, Sage, Spirea, Tamarisk.

Medium Soil: You have the perfect soil structure. To keep it as it is add organice matter, fertiliser and occasionally lime. Dig only if soil is compacted. plants will thrive in it.