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Best plants to grow in shady alkaline soil

#1 · 10th April 2022, 3:13 pm

I have a query regarding what are the best plants to grow for my garden - the location is soil that is on the alkaline side, very limited sunlight and is north-facing

I have tried lots of different things but nothing works - the plants either die very quickly after planting or they are just about OK but don’t grow much at all

I am not looking for anything in particular like flowers - just something that grows well say April to October for my location, dies back during the winter and grows again in the spring - this would be great. Something shrub-like or type of ferns etc will be fine

I have included some photos of the border area between lawn and fence for which I can hopefully find suitable plants to grow well

Many thanks for your help

Uploaded files:

#2 · 11th April 2022, 9:11 pm

Hi Sriram,

Thanks for your comment.

Well, that question really is broad! Planning any garden border needs careful consideration of the aspect, in your case north-facing, style, colour and seasons of interest. It may be better to book a one-hour consultation with me to fully plan out this border. You can do that below.

In the meantime to get you started though it's important to fully understand the plant groups/types to work out what you're trying to achieve.

What's a herbaceous perennial?

The plants you're looking for that die back each winter are usually herbaceous perennials.

What is a shrub?

All shrubs may lose their leaves (deciduous) or keep their leaves (evergreen). However, they won't die all the way back as shrubs have a woody stem characteristic. See how there are many variables!

Plants for alkaline soil?

Alkaline soil usually lends itself to plants that are known as calicoles (plants that thrive in alkaline) Ceanothus or Lavender are both shrubs like like alkaline soil but lavender will only grow in full sun so therefore not suitable for a shady north-facing garden.

If you're looking for herbaceous for shade then look at Geraniums or Berginia for some year round interest and low fuss.

I'd also recommend making that flower border deeper so you can plant in layers to give a fuller feel garden. You can read more on that here in my planting guide.