How to Choose the Right Plants For Your Soil Type
Having flowers and plants in your garden offers a range of great benefits, from encouraging wildlife to improving mental health.
However, the type of soil in your garden can play a big role in the overall health and growth of your plants.
With this in mind, it’s important to select the right plants for your garden’s soil type, helping your outdoor space to thrive.
In this article, the team here at R&J Landscapes (London) will outline how you can choose the right plants for your soil.
Why soil type matters in gardening
Every garden has different soil, and each type comes with its own unique properties. From different nutrient content to varying levels of water retention and drainage, properly understanding the soil type of your garden will help you figure out which plants are most appropriate.
What soil type do I have?
If you want to know how to test soil type in your garden, it can be determined fairly easily using the squeeze test. Simply grab a handful of soil from your garden, give it a squeeze and observe how it behaves.
The results will be as follows:
- Sandy soil – This will feel gritty and crumbly
- Clay soil – This will form a firm, sticky ball in your hands
- Loamy soil – This will form a soft ball that will fall away if poked
- Silty soil – This will form a smooth ball that will break apart when pressure is applied
- Peaty soil – This will create a spongy substance
- Chalky soil – This will crumble easily and create a powdery ball
Alternatively, you can purchase a soil kit to scientifically test your soil type or consult the assistance of expert gardeners or landscapers like the R&J Landscapes (London) team.
How to choose the right plants for your soil type
The type of soil you have will determine what plants are most suitable for your garden. Once you’ve worked out what soil you have, you’ll be able to more confidently select plants that will thrive in your space’s conditions.
Let’s take a look at some of the best plant choices for the different soil types:
Plants for sandy soil
Due to its loose and gritty texture, sandy soil offers excellent drainage which prevents water from pooling during spells of heavy rain. However, the soil can dry out quickly, which means it’s hard for nutrients to be maintained.
With this in mind, it is a suitable lavender soil type and also great for:
- Butterfly bushes
- Black-eyed Susans
- Coreopsis
- Ornamental grasses
- Blanket flowers
Plants for clay soil
The best hydrangea soil type, chalky soil is slow to drain but nutrient rich.
This makes it great for:
- Bushes
- Shrubs
- Trees
- Vining plants
Plants for loamy soil
Loamy soil is one of the easiest and most versatile soil types to work with, making it a popular choice for gardeners.
This means it can be used for:
- Growing vegetables
- Planting herbs
- All types of flowers
Plants for silty soil
Silty soil is made up of a fine texture that makes it a loose soil type. This reduces how well it drains but does mean it can maintain water well.
Plants for silty soil include:
- Root vegetables
- Beans
- Lettuce
- Cardinal flowers
- Ferns
Plants for peaty soil
Peaty soil is highly acidic, making it the best camellia soil type. While good for some, the high acidity means it’s not suitable for all plants.
Plants that thrive in peaty soil include:
- Azaleas
- Ferns
- Blueberries
- Lantern trees
- Witch hazel
Plants for chalky soil
Chalky soil is porous but also dries out very quickly. It also isn’t the most nutritious soil around. Despite this, it is suitable for:
- Fruit trees
- Lavender
- Rosemary
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
At R&J Landscapes (London), we’ve spent 30 years providing leading landscaping and gardening services to homeowners and businesses across Watford, Harrow and beyond.
This includes soft landscaping which will help you select the best plants and flowers for your garden. Book your free survey today by contacting our team.
