Perennials for your soil type

[Pat]

• Perennials for your soil type
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• Perennials for Wet Soils
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• Cardinal Flower Brilliant red flowers in late summer to early fall.
• Goatsbear Lacy, white flower plumes atop 3- to 5-foot-tall plants from early- to midsummer.
• Joe Pye Weed Large mauve blooms; up to 6 feet tall in late summer (pictured).
• Rodgersia Coarse texture; flower plumes in spring or summer.
• Sweet Flag Long-lasting swordlike foliage.

Perennials for Shade

• AstilbeLong-lasting flower stalks in summer (pictured).
• Barrenwort Red, pink, white, purple, or bicolor blooms in early- to midspring.
• Foamflower White or light pink flowers in midspring.
• Hardy Begonia Heart-shape foliage; pink flowers in late summer.
• HostaGrown for foliage; many cultivars.
• Lenten Rose Coarse-texture foliage; blooms in late winter to early spring.
• LungwortEarly-spring flowers and variegated foliage.
• Old-fashioned Bleeding HeartHeart-shape pink flowers in spring.
• Woodland Phlox Fragrant blue, purple, pink, or white flowers in late spring.

Perennials for Alkaline Soils

• Anemone Late-summer or fall flowers.
• Coralbells Many cultivars with colorful foliage (pictured).
• Creeping Baby's Breath White flowers in summer.
• Geranium Spring or summer flowers depending on species; foliage of many turns red in fall.
• Pincushion Flower Blue flowers on wiry stems; summer to fall.
• Pinks White, pink, or red flowers in spring and summer; evergreen foliage.

Perennials for Dry Soils

• Blue Fescue Ornamental grass with bluish-green foliage.
• Catmint Fragrant foliage and lavender-blue flowers in early summer (pictured).
• False Indigo Pealike blue flowers in late spring followed by attractive seedpods.
• Liriope Dark green grasslike foliage.
• Penstemon Desert species have bright flower colors, upright shape.
• White Gaura Airy white or pink flower stalks from midsummer to fall.
• Yucca Rounded clump of upright foliage.

From BHG

 

[Trellum]

I'm really good at planting geraniums, I don't know why =D I never really thought a lot about the soil, but I guess that does make sense... probably those people who keep failing planting geraniums have a very acidic soil? Wish I could try geraniums this year

 

[claudine]

This is so helpful. The soil in my area is wet, since I live near a very big river. According to the list, I should start growing Goatsbeard Lacy. It's a very pretty plant!
Joe Pye Weed sounds perfect for me as well

 

[ChanellG]

Before anyone rushes out to buy any of these plants I just want to point out that being native or suited to your area is more important than your type of soil. Soil can be amended; that's what raised beds are for, and there's always planters and flower pots. If there is something you want to grow, don't automatically assume you can't because of your soil conditions.

That said, great list, @Pat!

 

[MrsJones]

This list is very helpful for me, even though I do container gardening as well. I hesitate buying flowers that I really like because (1) I don't know what kind of soil is good for it and (2) because the ones that I like are expensive and I'd be very upset if they failed to grow properly or at all.