Matching plants and soils

Much is known about what flowers or vegetables will grow in what type of soil. Thus in many gardening books there are extensive lists of plants most suited to differing soils.

Sandy soils. Native trees which do well in sandy soil include oak, birch and sweet chestnut. Shrubs which do particularly well are those which thrive in dry conditions, for instance berberis, lavender, rosemary, sage and cistus.

Clay soils. Native trees which thrive in clay soils include alder, ash, holly, poplar and willow, and garden species of these are likely to do well. Other garden trees and plants include lilac, members of the viburnum family, pyracantha, day lilies and hostas. Roses grow particularly well on heavy clay.

Silty soils. Trees such as laburnum, crab apple, mountain ash, hazel and yew should do well. Shrubs could include choisya, kerria, periwinkle, philadelphus, potentilla, pyracantha and viburnum,

Loamy soils. Many acid-loving plants are Spring-flowering, so gardens tend to be at their best at that season. Some of our most-loved plants, such as rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, pieris and heathers actually prefer acid soils. They grow happily in a woodland setting. Vegetables do less well in acid soil and most require regular treatments of lime to improve the pH. One exception is potatoes, which need a slightly acid soil and should not be planted in land which has been treated with lime.

Chalky soils. The acid-loving plants will not do well, but there are many other species which will thrive. Native trees include maple, horse chestnut, beech, spindle, ash and yew. The soil is particularly suitable for dogwoods, berberis, flowering cherries, buddleia, hebe, philadelphus and lilac. Many perennial plants do well on chalk.