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?

I've got a very steep bank with exceptionally poor soil. DP bought ceanothus repens which clings to the bank and grows like wildfire. He's also planted Hypericum which don't mind poor soil either. Both are doing really well. Also I don't know what they're called but they're white daisies with silver foliage, they're doing brilliantly too.

For the time being try some sunflower seeds, I planted an old packet in unfertile soil I bought to surround my pond with wildflowers. To my surprise the sunflowers loved it and grew to 9+ feet tall, I was most disappointed when the September winds blew them down.

We have really poor soil at the front of our house (new build 10 years ago, few inches of soil, then rubble covered with bark chippings & is full south-facing.
I'd recommend Mediterranean plants - we have lavender, rosemary, creeping thyme, oregano, sage & an ornamental grass plus bulbs (daffodils, narcissus, muscari, bluebell & alliums).
Please ignore the crappy scrubby grass! Planning to relay this year.

If you are looking beyond flowers/shrubs, try growing rocket. We had dreadful thin, sandy soil in our last house - I planted a couple of rows of it, and it went off like, well, a rocket. I couldn't eat the stuff fast enough - I was giving bags of it to the neighbours, salads every day.

The only other plant that loved the soil was Lavatera.

Red valerian, it grows anywhere and comes back every year.