Conifer plants for chalky soil
Chalky soils are free draining, alkaline and tend to be lower in nutrients than neutral, loamy soils. Chalky soils generally dry out more quickly, although deeper alkaline soils or those where clay is also present can be more moisture retentive. The best conifer plants for chalky soil are Chamaecyparis, ginkgo, juniper, pine, thuja and yew. Chamaecyparis (aka Cypress conifers) are one of the UK's most popular ornamental garden conifers with a tall-growing habit and distinctive, feathery evergreen foliage. They're perfect for adding height and structure to the garden, making a useful backdrop to more showy plants at the back of a border. Ginkgo conifers, also known as the Maidenhair Tree, is a long-lived, deciduous conifer with fan-shaped bright green leathery leaves with an upright growth habit when young, becoming more spreading with age.
Juniper are well-loved evergreens, perfect for brightening up the winter garden. They have small, narrow, needle-like foliage in shades of blue, green or gold with silvery bands on the inner side and curving slightly to a prickly point. The majority of Pinus conifers we sell for ornamental use are dwarf or smaller growing varieties that provide year-round colour and structure whilst being low maintenance and easy to grow. Small and dwarf pine plants create a professional architectural look, which is equally effective in the border or containers. Thuja has a pyramidal growth habit with flattened sprays of miniature, fan-shaped foliage that has an almost fruity aroma when crushed. Yew plants make a dense, evergreen hedge with bright green new spring growth deepening to dark green when mature and red, fleshy cone fruits in autumn. They are relatively slow-growing with a pyramidal form, perfect for a tapered hedge which can be clipped tightly to give a formal appearance.