Ericaceous??

Luckygirl if you're looking for plants for the garden the easiest way is to look at what's growing in gardens around you. If there's a lot of ericas (i.e. heathers) and rhododendrons you know you've got acid soil and plants which like alkaline won't thrive and visa versa.

I'm not of a scientific bent and have never got around with ph test kits - if the neighbours aren't growing it I just buy a small cheap plant and if it thrives I get the more special ones of the same sort. Apart from the obvious ones it can be difficult to find out which soil a plant prefers, but I've found garden centre staff very helpful. We have slightly alkaline soil -apparently - so can grow most things, but fortunately we have a large Scots pine in the front garden the needles from which have given me an acidic area for my Rhodos to thrive.

nina it doesn't work as we really only have a few inches soil on top of solid chalk.

But plants that thrive are clematis, delphiniums, scabious, some lilies, irises seem fine, some Japanese anemones, some asters, honeysuckle , roses with lots of mulch and lots of others that aren't fussy. So really I have lots of choice!!

I do grow in pots but as I said watering is an issue. I use sequestered iron if it gets watered with tap water.

But saying that this year has been fabulous with absolutely everything flowering it's socks off. Must be the weather right for each season.

Keep all my ericaceous plants in pots with the right soil and feed, they all do really well and get quite big.
All shrubs/plants should come with a bit of basic info attached to them.

Sorry ww I didn't make myself clear. I meant have you tried planting in the ground with plenty of erecacious.
I was looking to prove to H that it wouldn't work, I don't want to loose my beautiful big specimens

Oops posted too soon. They don't seem to mind the wild wind sea beeezes or the salty air either .

I live on the North East coast and all the acid loving plants seem to thrive in my garden.

Yes I have lupins in pots as I adore them, but they hate my soil. Watering has been an issue this year as I have run out of rain water, and the tap water is straight out of the Downs so too alkaline.

I have grown azalias etc as well as blueberries.

To be honest I am more and more going with the flow though and just growing alkaline loving plants which quite honestly are lovely.

I have rhodies (my favourite plant) and azaleas growing in the largest pots we can find due to our alkaline soil. H wants to plant them out after treating a large area, I'm dubious.
Have you actually tried doing this ww ?

Same here with alkaline soil. I don't even bother with rhodies or azaleas. I have a Japanese acer in a pot which is topped up with ericaceous compost every year and astilbes fare better treated the same way as I've had little success with them planted in a border.

It's really important to test your soil and also find out what grows well in your neighbourhood.

Have you tested your soil? You can buy DIY ph test kit in garden centres

My garden in the South Downs is alkaline based on chalk. There is absolutely no point in me planting any acid loving plants as they simply will not thrive, even if I give them a pocket of eracaceous and feed with sequestering iron etc.

No point in working against geology.

There isn't really a rule of thumb, you just need to know which plants prefer an acid soil. These would include Rhododendrons, Azaleas, heathers, and blue flowered Hydrangeas. There are others, of course, which should be noted on the growing advice on any new plants you buy. Most garden plants aren't fussy, but there are always the exceptions! If in doubt, Google any plants you think might need such treatment.