Rise& shine
IMPROVE your garden in a flash by showing problem places some love.
Under big trees and at the base of walls, or in areas enclosed by buildings, soil is often poor and dusty because of foundations or roots. For happy plants, mulch with well-rotted organic matter while the earth is damp.
Paint walls white or add mirrors and a fountain to reflect light into the drab area and thin crowns of dense tree canopies to aid growing conditions.
Hellebores, periwinkles, bergenia and lady’s mantle thrive in dry shade as do shrubby plants like ivy, mahonia, berberis and cotoneaster.
On north-facing slopes and under a light canopy of birch and pine, where there is no direct sunlight, moist shade is an issue. Make a border featuring hydrangeas with Anemone blanda, hardy cyclamen, violets, snowdrops, hostas and lily-of-the-valley.
In acid soil, grow miniature rhododendrons, camellias and pieris.
Fail
Alkaline soils can chemically lock up nutrients, especially iron, making rhododendrons, camellias and heathers unhappy. Chalky soils are not the only ones to pose a problem. Clay and sandy soils may also be alkaline.
All but lime-hating plants will grow on slightly alkaline soil of ph7. Top performers on chalky soils include amelanchier, fuchsias, hebes and flowering cherries plus herbaceous perennials like pinks and scabious. Clay soils are often waterlogged in winter and in summer they set like concrete. Plants fail because of poor drainage and lack of aeration. Dig in fine grit or coarse sand plus plenty of manure in winter.
Plants you can rely on where soil conditions are less than perfect are dogwoods, ornamental elders, flowering currants, mock orange and willow. Making raised beds may also provide a solution.
Light and sandy soils dry out fast and soon become hungry as organic matter vanishes within months and nutrients seep away, especially after heavy rainfall.
Drought-busting plants such as cistus, broom, hardy hibiscus, sedum, lavender, sage and rosemary are great survivors in the heat.