Ivydene Gardens Plants:
Other Plants for Chalky Soils List

Soil over chalk and limestone is almost invariably alkaline (Limy). It is usually fairly fertile, but can be shallow and consequently dries out quickly.

Ferguson's Garden Plant Directory by Nicola Ferguson (ISBN 0 330 26594 6) shows which plants flourish on alkaline soils - shallow soil on chalk.

Action to assist in Chalk soil maintenance:-

• Mulch the beds with a 4 inch (100mm) deep layer of Spent Mushroom Compost to improve fertility and drainage; preferably in the Autumn in between the existing plants, and top it up each year after that. This will stop the chalk soil from drying out through the action of sun and wind on its surface, and to provide chalk and carbon to aid in soil formation and fertility.
• If starting a new lawn or bed, rotovate the wet chalk soil, add the 4 inch layer of Spent Mushroom Compost mulch and rotavate that in. Heel and rake the ground for a new turf (or to be seeded) lawn, before laying or seeding it. Insert plants in new bed, before installing the irrigation system and then applying a 4 inch layer of this mulch on top of it.
• Mow the existing lawn closely before spreading a 1/4 inch (6mm) deep layer of any sand (Kiln dried Top Dressing is easier to spread, both available from Gardenscape in small bags or in 1 tonne bags) over it, starting in late April. Repeat this each month until July for one season. This will improve the fertility of the lawn by providing silica in the form of sand (See What is Soil Texture Page in the Soil Section for further details). Spreading the same depth of sand on the flower/vegetable beds at the same time would also be beneficial.

Chalky Soil is Alkaline on the pH scale.

Most of the plants in this list may not be further detailed in the remainder of the Plants section.

The garden use list is sorted in the following table under the following height of plant range:-

Below 2 feet in height
Between 2 and 6 feet in height
Above 6 feet in height

In the case of some genera and species, at least two - and sometimes dozens of - varieties and hybrids are readily available, and it has been possible to give only a selection of the whole range. To indicate this, the abbreviation 'e.g.' appears before the selected examples ( for instance, Centaurea cyanus e.g. 'Jubilee Gem'). If an 'e.g.' is omitted in one list, although it appears beside the same plant in other lists, this means that the plant is the only suitable one - or the only readily available suitable one - in the context of that particular list.

1
1.5
1
1.5
1.5
1.5
2
1.5
1
1.5
1.5
1.5
1
1
1.5

Allium moly
Antirrhinum majus e.g. 'Little Darling' (Snapdragon)
Centaurea cyanus e.g. 'Jubilee Gem'
Cheiranthus cheiri e.g. 'Blood Red' (Erysimum cheiri)
Chrysanthemum carinatume.g.'Monarch Court Jesters'
Convolvus tricolor e.g. 'Royal Ensign'
Coreopsis verticillata (Tick-seed)
Gypsophila elegans e.g. 'Rosea'
Linaria maroccana e.g. 'Excelsior Hybrids'
Salvia x superba 'May Knight'
Scabiosa atropurpurea e.g. 'Dwarf Double Mixed'
Sedum x 'Autumn Joy' (Stonecrop)
Silene coeli-rosa e.g. 'Oculata Mixed'
Tulipa Fosteriana Hybrid e.g. 'Madame Lefeber'
Tulipa Triumph Group e.g. 'Korneforos'

Bulb
Bedding Annual
Annual
Evergreen Perennial
Annual
Annual
Herbaceous Perennial
Annual
Annual
Herbaceous Perennial
Biennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Annual
Bulb
Bulb

2.5
2
2.5
2.5
2.5
2
2
3
3
3.5
2
5
2
3
3
3
3
3
2.5
3
3
4
4.5
4.5
3
3
2.5
2
2
2
3.5
3.5

Achillea millefolium 'Cerise Queen'
Anthemis sancti-johannis
Anthemis tinctoria e.g. 'Grallagh Gold'
Anthemis tinctoria e.g 'Wargrave Variety'
Caryopteris x clandonensis e.g. 'Ferndown'
Centaurea dealbata e.g. 'John Coutts'
Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian)
Ceratostigma willmotianum
Dictamnus albus (Burning Bush)
Echinops ritro
Eryngium alpinum
Hebe brachysiphon
Helianthus annuus e.g. 'Dwarf Sungold' (Sunflower)
Iris e.g. 'Dancer's Veil'
Iris e.g. 'Frost and Flame'
Iris e.g. 'Olympic Torch'
Kniphofia e.g. 'Maid of Orleans'
Linaria purpurea 'Canon J. Went'
Papaver orientale e.g. 'Marcus Perry'
Papaver orientale e.g. 'Mrs Perry' (Oriental poppy)
Papaver orientale e.g. 'Perry's White' (Oriental Poppy)
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Pinus mugo pumilio
Rosa e.g. 'Stanwell Perpetual' (Burnet Rose)
Salvia pratensis Haematodes Group
Salvia x superba
Scabiosa caucasica e.g. 'Clive Greaves'
Tulipa Darwin Hybrid Group e.g. 'Apeldoorn'
Tulipa Darwin Hybrid Group e.g. 'Clara Butt'
Tulipa Darwin Hybrid Group 'Niphetos'
Verbascum x 'Gainsborough'
Verbascum x 'Pink Domino'

Deciduous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Deciduous Shrub
Herbaceous Perennial
Deciduous Perennial
Deciduous Shrub
Deciduous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Evergreen Shrub
Annual
Herbaceous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Deciduous Sub-Shrub
Groundcover Conifer
Deciduous Shrub
Deciduous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Herbaceous Perennial
Bulb
Bulb
Bulb
Semi-Evgn Perennial
Semi-Evgn Perennial

8
8
20
8
10
7
7
15
80
20
15
30

Buddleia davidii e.g. 'Black Knight'
Buddleia davidii e.g. 'Royal Red'
Cercis siliquastrum (Judas Tree)
Eremurus robustus (Foxtail Lily)
Fremontodendron californicum
Hibiscus syriacus e.g. 'Blue Bird'
Hibiscus syriacus e.g. 'Hamabo'
Juniperus communis e.g. 'Hibernica' (Irish Juniper)
Pinus nigra (Austrian Pine)
Prunus e.g. 'Amanogawa'
Prunus e.g. 'Kiku-shidare Sakura'
Prunus e.g. 'Tai-Haku' (Great White Cherry)

Deciduous Shrub
Deciduous Shrub
Deciduous Tree
Herbaceous Perennial
Evergreen Shrub
Deciduous Shrub
Deciduous Shrub
Columnar Conifer
Columnar Conifer
Deciduous Tree
Deciduous Tree
Deciduous Tree