Shrubs 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. We generally recommend choosing types of plants that are naturally suited to your soil type, rather than trying to change it. Any change will only be temporary and will need to be repeated over time. Chalky soils are best suited to shrubs that like sharp drainage and are not too greedy in terms of nutrient requirements. Recommended shrubs for chalky soils include astilbe, aucuba, bay laurel, berberis, butterfly bush, ceanothus, choisya, rock rose, cotoneaster, cytisus, deutzia, euonymus, fuchsia, hebe, lavatera, lavender, privet, lonicera, mahonia, potentilla, pyracantha, rosemary, sambucus, spiraea, syringa, viburnum, vinca and weigela. The depth of soil over chalk can vary considerably. If the depth of top soil in your garden is particularly shallow (some may have just 10cm or a few inches of soil before hitting solid chalk), additional top soil will need to be added on top of your ground to make planting viable. Limestone soils have similar characteristics.