Plants That Grow Well in Alkaline Soils
The list below, from the Royal Horticulture Society, the UK’s leading gardening charity, is not exhaustive, but it gives you enough options to begin planning to landscape on ground that is alkaline. You will find perennials, vines, shrubs, trees, and annuals on the list. A plant’s inclusion on this list does not necessarily mean that it needs or prefers to grow in an alkaline soil (although it might), only that it will, at the very least, tolerate alkalinity:
Perennials
We are breaking this list into sub-lists: perennials (including mentions of a bulb plant and a couple of types of ornamental grasses), vines, shrubs, trees, and annuals. We will begin with perennials, which are the first plants that people think of when the subject of flower gardens comes up. By paying careful attention to sequence of bloom in your planning, you can experience many months of magnificent floral color in your yard by growing perennial flowers: Anchusa azurea Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ Bearded iris (Iris x germanica) Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) Catmint (Nepeta × faassenii) Centaurea montana Columbine (Aquilegia spp.) Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) Delphinium Easter lilies (Lilium longiflorum, a bulb plant) Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’ (an ornamental grass) Foxglove (Digitalis spp.) Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) Hens and chicks (Sempervivum tectorum) Hosta Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium caeruleum) Lavender (Lavandula spp.) Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis) Maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis, an ornamental grass) Maltese cross (Lychnis chalcedonica) Meadow rue (Thalictrum aquilegifolium) Mums (Chrysanthemum spp.) Pasque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) Red hot poker (Kniphofia) Reticulated iris (Iris reticulata) Salvia Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum ‘Becky’) Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla) Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata) Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Vines
Vines, and particularly flowering vines, are remarkably useful plants in a landscape. The one drawback they have, as a class, is that many of them are aggressive. So if you are someone who, in your plant selection, strives to obtain plants that are compatible with low-maintenance landscaping, make it a point to research the qualities of a vine carefully before purchasing it: Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) Clematis Kiwi (Actinidia kolomikta) Vinca minor Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum)
Shrubs (Bushes)
Shrubs have been dubbed the “backbone” of a landscape because they furnish it with valuable structure. Select a variety of flowering shrubs if you wish to optimize color in your spring and summer landscape; some are also good shrubs for fall color. But also remember that the value of evergreen shrubs soars in winter when all of your other plants have dropped their leaves. When it comes to alkaline soil vs. acidic soil, Hydrangea presents a special case. You can change a hydrangea’s color by changing the soil pH. Some types of shrubs that will grow in alkaline soils are: Arborvitae (Thuja spp.) Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’ Contorted filbert (Corylus avellana) Cotoneaster horizontalis Deutzia Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’ False cypress (Chamaecyparis) Forsythia Golden privet (L. ovalifolium ‘Aureum’) Lilac bushes (Syringa spp.) Rose of Sharon bushes (Hibiscus syriacus) Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) Spiraea japonica “Tree” peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) Viburnum Weigela florida Yew bushes (Taxus spp.) Yucca filamentosa
Trees
Because of their size (and because of their corresponding cost and impact on your property), you have to pay special attention to the plant-selection process when choosing a tree. But if you get it right, you can end up with a plant that you will later deem indispensable to your landscape. Some are towering giants that can cast shade over a large portion of your yard, while others are much shorter and serve effectively as shade trees for patios. Still others are considered dwarf trees and function more like shrubs in your landscaping: Common (or “European”) beech (Fagus sylvatica) European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) Ginkgo biloba Horse chestnut (Aesculus spp.) Mugo pine (Pinus mugo) Ornamental cherry (Prunus spp.)
Annuals
Some annuals can also be grown in an alkaline soil without difficulty, including Calendula, bachelor buttons (Centaurea cyanus), and sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima). Mix some annuals into your perennial flower borders to achieve the landscape color scheme that you are seeking.
