Plants for Chalky Soil

Q: What plants grow well in chalky soil?

{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Lime-loving, drought-tolerant plants do best. Many sun-loving and Mediterranean-style plants actually prefer the free-draining, alkaline conditions that chalk provides, over richer, heavier soil."}]}]}

Q: What plants should I avoid on chalk?

{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Acid-lovers struggle on chalk. Most rhododendrons, camellias and blue hydrangeas want acidic soil, so they are better grown in pots of ericaceous compost than in chalky ground."}]}]}

Q: How do I improve chalky soil?

{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Dig in plenty of organic matter to help the shallow soil hold moisture and nutrients, and mulch each year. You cannot easily change its lime content, so it is simpler to choose plants that enjoy alkaline conditions."}]}]}

Q: Does chalky soil need much watering?

{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"It drains fast and dries out quickly, so new plants need regular water while they root in. Established drought-tolerant plants cope well, and adding organic matter helps the soil hold on to more moisture."}]}]}

Plants for chalky soil are chosen to thrive on free-draining, alkaline ground. Chalk suits a specific group of lime-loving plants, and once you plant to its strengths it is an easy soil to garden.

134 products

Sort

Firefern (Molten Lava Sorrel)

Oxalis Vulcan Pink

£9.99

1

Firefern (Molten Lava Sorrel)

Oxalis Sunset Yellow

£9.99

1

Dicksonia antarctica | Tree Fern

£12.99

1

Cabbage Tree

Cussonia spicata

£22.99

1

Firefern (Molten Lava Sorrel)

Oxalis Vulcan Gold

£11.99

Notify Me When Available

Sale

Fatsia japonica 'Spiders Web'

£13.99 £14.49

1

Japanese Banana

Musa basjoo

£16.99

1

Firefern 'Nordlys' (Molten Lava Sorrel)

Oxalis spiralis vulcanicola 'Nordlys'

£8.99

1

Siberian Bugloss 'Silver Heart'

Brunnera macrophylla 'Silver Heart'

£14.99

1

Cyrtomium fortunei 'clivicola'

£4.99

1

Polystichum lepidocaulon

£15.99 £25.99

Notify Me When Available

Blue Passion Flower

Passiflora caerulea

£14.99

1

Purple Passion Fruit

Passiflora edulis (Passion Fruit)

£18.99

1

Dwarf Hedgehog Agave

Agave stricta 'Nana'

£10.99

1

Variegated Stonecrop 'Atlantis'

Sedum tekesimense 'Atlantis'

£6.99

Notify Me When Available

Chocolate Persian Silk Tree

Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate'

£34.99

1

Creeping Wire Vine (Variegated)

Muehlenbeckia Axillaris variegated

£6.99

Notify Me When Available

Wagner's Windmill Palm (Miniature Chusan Palm)

Trachycarpus wagnerianus

£39.99

1

Cider Gum 'Azura'

Eucalyptus gunnii 'Azura'

£27.99

1

Blue Fescue

Festuca glauca 'Compact Blue'

£5.49

1

Pineapple Lily

Eucomis comosa | Pineapple Lily

£14.99

Notify Me When Available

Rice Paper Plant (Chinese Rice-paper Plant)

Tetrapanax papyrifer

£37.99

1

Wire Vine (Maidenhair Vine)

Muehlenbeckia complexa

£6.99

1

Golden Kiwi

Actinidia deliciosa (Golden Kiwi)

£19.99

1

Variegated Kiwi Vine

Actinidia kolomikta

£18.99

1

Dwarf Kowhai, Little Baby

Sophora Little Baby

£9.99

1

Taiwanese Fatsia (Green Fingers Fatsia)

Fatsia polycarpa 'Green Fingers'

£17.99

1

Coleus 'Main Street Bourbon Street' (Painted Nettle)

Coleus scutellarioides 'Main Street Bourbon Street'

£9.99

1

Coleus 'Main Street Spacecake' (Painted Nettle)

Coleus scutellarioides 'Main Street Spacecake'

£8.99

1

Mexican Feather Grass

Stipa tenuissima 'Ponytails'

£5.99

1

Dryopteris koidzumiana

£10.99

1

Dwarf Pampas Grass

Cortaderia selloana Pumila

£12.99

1

Silk Tree (Persian Silk Tree)

Albizia julibrissin 'Ombrella'

£24.99

1

Black Lace Elder 'Eva' PBR

Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace'

£16.99

1

Yellow Montbretia 'George Davidson'

Crocosmia 'George Davidson'

£19.99

Notify Me When Available

Dutchman's Pipe

Aristolochia macrophylla

£28.99

1

Japanese Spurge

Pachysandra terminalis

£5.59

1

Agave 'Shaka Zulu'

£26.99

Notify Me When Available

Coleus / Painted Nettle 'Love Bird'

Coleus 'Love Bird'

£11.99

1

1 2 3 4 Next

Gardening on chalky soil

Chalky soil is alkaline, stony and free-draining, often shallow over solid chalk. It never waterlogs, which many plants love, but it is low in nutrients and dries out quickly, and its lime content rules out acid-loving plants like most rhododendrons and camellias. The trick is to plant to its strengths rather than fight it.

The plants here are happy on lime and cope with the sharp drainage. Many are drought-tolerant, and plenty of sun-loving and Mediterranean-style plants actually prefer these conditions to richer soil. Digging in organic matter helps the shallow ground hold moisture and nutrients, and an annual mulch keeps improving it. Work with chalk rather than against it and it becomes a reliable, low-maintenance soil.

All grown for UK gardens and sent out well rooted.

Frequently Asked Questions

What plants grow well in chalky soil?

Lime-loving, drought-tolerant plants do best. Many sun-loving and Mediterranean-style plants actually prefer the free-draining, alkaline conditions that chalk provides, over richer, heavier soil.

What plants should I avoid on chalk?

Acid-lovers struggle on chalk. Most rhododendrons, camellias and blue hydrangeas want acidic soil, so they are better grown in pots of ericaceous compost than in chalky ground.

How do I improve chalky soil?

Dig in plenty of organic matter to help the shallow soil hold moisture and nutrients, and mulch each year. You cannot easily change its lime content, so it is simpler to choose plants that enjoy alkaline conditions.

Does chalky soil need much watering?

It drains fast and dries out quickly, so new plants need regular water while they root in. Established drought-tolerant plants cope well, and adding organic matter helps the soil hold on to more moisture.