Éricacée

Ericaceous plants

Camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas, pieris and other plants that need acid, lime-free soil to do well.

Ericaceous plants are the ones that struggle in chalky or alkaline soil. Lime stops them taking up iron, and their leaves turn yellow between the veins. Give them acid conditions, though, and you get some of the best flowering shrubs there are for a shady garden.

Camellias flower from late winter into spring and keep their glossy leaves all year. Rhododendrons and evergreen azaleas follow in late spring. Pieris puts out bright red new shoots in spring, often with sprays of small white flowers at the same time. Skimmia and many heathers prefer acid soil as well.

Is my soil acid?

A cheap soil testing kit from a garden centre will tell you. Anything below pH 7 is acid, and most ericaceous plants prefer somewhere around pH 5 to 6. If your soil is chalky, or you'd rather not risk it, grow them in pots of ericaceous compost. It's the simplest way to grow camellias and azaleas in an area with alkaline soil.

Watering and feeding

Use rainwater if you can, especially for plants in pots. Tap water in hard water areas contains lime, and over time it pushes the pH of the compost up. Feed in spring with a fertiliser made for ericaceous plants, and mulch with leaf mould or composted bark to keep the roots cool and damp. Camellias form their flower buds in late summer, so don't let them dry out then, or the buds may drop before they open.

Availability

Our ericaceous stock changes with the seasons, so there may be nothing listed here at times. If you're after something in particular, get in touch and we'll tell you what we can get. Every plant comes with free plant food.