What can you plant in really poor soil?

[Loveabitofwood]

We’re in the middle of a renovation and the garden has been completely destroyed.

It’s a sloping garden to make matters harder.

Most of the slope is going to be planted but we’ve run out of cash and can’t really afford topsoil to be delivered and put down. What I can plant that will grow in crap soil mixed with rubble or is that just wishful thinking?

What can I plant that should say

Lavender. Loves crap soil.

Try some Mediterranean style herbs. Lemon balm, lavender, thyme etc. Also alpines - if you get the small ones from the garden centre you can see what takes. Ground cover ones like the mini sedums.

I’ve got some succulents which I pulled out of a bed and just chucked between a couple of pots and they have grown really well - they are not even in any soil, but are healthy and vibrant, they also keep spreading.

You might be better buying the topsoil and then being able to buy seeds and cheaper plants. Or fewer plants. A cubic m of topsoil is only £80 round here.

If I was you I would buy some bags of wild flower seed mix and sow them in the spring. You can literally just throw them around and you will get a carpet of lovely mixed flowers. They do v well in poor soil.

So many things!

Lavender for one.
Rosemary
Thyme
Echinacea
Bearded iris love that kind of soil but would appreciate the odd feed with bonemeal.
Sedums
Perennial Sunflowers
Hibiscus
Rudbeckias

Definitely lavender. I think heather would do well too.

Wildflowers are another great option!

Next year, nasturtium seeds. They love crap soil.

Wildlife garden. Loves poor soil and wildlife loves it

OP - will you come back with photos to show what worked? A lot of us have bits of garden like that!

Also grasses.

Thank you, loads of fab ideas. I’m leaning towards lavender I think or maybe heather. I want year round cover which I don’t think wildflower seeds will give and it’s a really large area to leave bare for a lot of the year.

Yes nasturtiums!!

I was going to say roses? But more experienced gardneners might disagree. We have awful soil and roses seem about the omly thing that takes.

Rhubarb. Ours has about an inch of soil on top of ancient builders' rubble and is more fruitful every year.

Grasses and heathers sound good then, maybe bergenias would go well with that planting? I also find sedum quite easy to grow. Could be a nice planting scheme.

I'm no gardener and I've had some success with lavender in this type of soil. I'm also trying to establish creeping phlox as a groundcover and it seems to be taking.

I’ve never had much success with lavender in previous gardens but I love it.

I’m thinking I’ll try heathers and grasses to start off with.

about to Google creeping phlox as never heard of it

I was told planting potatoes really improves the quality of bad soil & you'll have your own spuds. Lemon balm goes crazy, out of control with a creeping rootstock. My garden is invaded with it, it does smell gorgeous though.

I wouldn’t like you to be disappointed or waste your money.
Heathers need Acidic soil and although they grow on rocky poor soil, it usually benefits from water that has run through pine forest or peat bogs.

Intersting about the acidic soil for heathers. Rhododendrons and azaleas thrive in my garden, all my heathers died. I am just a heather killer!

Sedum would work. They spread too and require very little work. Also, I know some people get a bit snobby about thembut budleias grow anywhere and buees and butterflys love them.

This kind.

Good point from @Floydthebarber about buddleia which grow like weeds!