Got Acidic Soil (Low pH)? These Plants Won’t Mind

While most plants prefer near neutral soil pH levels, there are plenty of plants you can grow in acidic (low pH) conditions. Browse the list of trees, shrubs, perennials, climbers, fruits, and vegetables to get ideas for your low-pH garden.

For a beginner’s guide, also see What is Soil pH and How to Work With It.

---

Growing in Low-pH Acidic Soil

Once you know the pH level of your garden soil, you have another piece of the puzzle to better understand which plants are suited to your growing space.

Along with the benefits to knowing our soil structure and texture (sand, silt, clay), water drainage abilities (or lack of), organic content and fertility, the pH level tells us which nutrients are available to the plants. And that can mean the difference between plants struggling or thriving.

---

Contents

• Understanding pH
  • How to Test Your Soil pH
• Plants That Tolerate Acidic Soil
  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Trees
  • Shrubs
  • Climbers
  • Perennials
  • Aquatic & Bog Plants

---

Understanding pH

For a quick refresher, in pH tests, high pH (above 7.0) = alkaline and low pH (below 7.0) = acidic.

Most of our gardens are between 5 and 8.

In acidic conditions (low pH), essential nutrients including phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, and magnesium have limited availability to plants.

That lower pH indicates a high concentration of hydrogen ions are stopping the other nutrients (minerals) from making themselves available to the plants. They may be there but the plants can’t use them.

But, there are plants that tolerate or have adapted to more acidic conditions. This includes woodland plants, heathers, Japanese maples, hydrangeas (blue ones), magnolias, azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, and more.

If your soil is naturally acidic and conditions (sun, water, soil structure) are suitable, you can grow these plants directly in the ground.

If you want to grow them but your soil is alkaline (higher pH), choose dwarf or compact versions and plant your acid-tolerant plants in containers with special (ericaceous/slightly acidic) soil or compost.

Plants That Tolerate Acidic Soil

The pH level of your soil is just one factor to consider when deciding what to grow. Other important factors include soil, light, water, wind, and ensuring the plant is not invasive in your area.

---

TIP: If you’re on a desktop computer, use Control + F (PC) or Command + F (MAC) to search for a particular plant name on this page.

1Fruits

pH Level	Common Name
5.8 to 7	Apple
4.5 to 5.5	Blueberry
6 to 6.5	Blackcurrant
4.2 to 5	Cranberry
5.5 to 6.5	Elderberry
5.5 to 6.5	Gooseberry
5.5 to 6.5	Grapes
5.5 to 7	Redcurrant
6 to 6.5	Whitecurrant
5.4 to 6.5	Strawberry

2Vegetables

pH Level	Common Name
5.5 to 6.5	Parsley
5.5 to 6.5	Peppers
4.8 to 5.5	Potatoes
4.5 to 5	Radish
5.5 to 6.5	Rhubarb
4.5 to 5	Sweet potato
5.5 to 7	Tomato

3Trees

pH Level	Common Name	Botanical Name	Minimum Hardiness Zone
5.5 to 6	Snakebark maple	Acer davidii	5 to 7
5.5 to 6	Moosewood	Acer pensylvanicum ‘Erythrocladum’	3 to 9
5 to 7	Juneberry and Serviceberry	Amelanchier species	4 to 7
7 to 11	Strawberry tree	Arbutus unedo	7 to 11
4.5 to 5.5	Azalea	Azalea (various)	5 to 10
5 to 6.5	Beech	Beech (various)	2 to 7
6.6 to 7.8	Eastern redbud	Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’	6b
5 to 7	Snowdrop tree	Halesia carolina	6a
5 to 7.4	Sweet gum	Liquidambar styraciflua	6
4.5 to 7	Monterey pine	Pinus radiata	7
4.6 to 6.5	Tall stewartia	Stewartia monadelpha	6 to 8
acidic to neutral	Japanese snowball	Styrax japonicus	5b to 9

4Shrubs

pH Level	Common Name	Botanical Name	Minimum Hardiness Zone
5.5 to 6.5	Japanese maple	Acer palmatum var. dissectum	5b to 8
3 to 7.9	Bog rosemary	Andromeda polifolia ‘Compacta’	2
5.5 to 6.5	Heather	Calluna vulgaris ‘County Wicklow’	4
5.5 to 6.5	Camellia	Camellia species	8
4.5 to 5.5	Cassiope	Cassiope ‘Edinburgh’	5
6.5 to 8	California lilac	Ceanothus (various)	4 to 9
3.7 to 7	Quince	Chaenomeles (various)	5
5 to 6	Hedges	Chamaecyparis species	5 to 7
4.6 to 6	Leatherleaf	Chamaedaphne calyculata	3 to 8
5 to 6.5	Conifers	Conifers (various)
6 to 7.5	Dogwood	Cornus (various)	5 to 9
5.1 to 5.5	Irish Heath	Daboeccia cantabrica ‘Bicolor’	6
5 to 7.4	Disanthus	Disanthus cercidifolius (conifer)	5 to 8
4.4 to 5.6	Chilean firebush	Embothrium coccineum	7b
4.5 to 6	Furin-tsutsuji	Enkianthus campanulatus	4 to 7
4.5 to 5.5	Bell heather, Twisted heath	Erica cinerea and cultivars	5
5 to 7	Witch alder	Fothergilla major	4 to 8
5 to 7	Witch alder	Fothergilla gardenia	5b
4.5 to 6	Wintergreen	Gaultheria procumbens	3 to 9
5 to 7.4	Witch hazel	Hamamelis species	4 to 9
5.2 to 5.5	Hydrangea (blue flowers)	Hydrangea (various)	3 to 9
3.5 to 7.2	Holly	Ilex (various)	3
<6.8	Sheep laurel	Kalmia angustifolia	5 to 8
5 to 7	Calico bush	Kalmia latifolia	5b
4.5 to 6.5	Leucothoe	Leucothoe (various)	5 to 8
5.5 to 6	Lithodora	Lithodora diffusa ‘Heavenly blue’	7
5 to 6	Magnolia	Magnolia (various)	4 to 10
3.5 to 6	Bog myrtle	Myrica gale	2 to 9
4.5 to 6.5	Ninebark	Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Dart’s Gold’	2 to 8
5 to 6	Pieris	Pieris ‘Forest Flame’	5 to 8
5 to 6	Pieris	Pieris Japonica ‘Blush’	5b
5.5 to 7.5	Pyracantha	Pyracantha (various)	6 to 9
6.5	Currant and Gooseberry	Ribes (various)	5 to 9
4.5 to 6	Rhododendron	Rhododendron species	7
5 to 7.4	Skimmia	Skimmia (various)	7
6.1 to 7.8	Rowan	Sorbus vilmorinii	7
6.5 to 7	Lilac	Syringa (various)	3 to 7
4 to 5	Red bilberry	Vaccinium parvifolium	5 to 9

5Climbers

pH Level	Common Name	Botanical Name	Minimum Hardiness Zone
5.1 to 5.5	Coral plant	Berberidopsis corallina	8 to 9
5.6 to 6	Lantern tree	Crinodendron hookerianum	8 to 9
very acid to neutral	Taique	Desfontainia spinosa	7 to 10

6Perennials

pH Level	Common Name	Botanical Name	Minimum Hardiness Zone
6.5 to 7.5	Bear’s breeches	Acanthus mollis	6 to 10
5.6 to 6	Plume thistle	Cirsium rivulare	4 to 8
6.6 to 7	Clematis	Clematis (various)	4 to 9
6 to 7.5	Dianthus	Dianthus (various)	3 to 9
slightly acidic	Foxglove	Digitalis (biennial)	4 to 8
6 to 7	Coneflower	Echinacea purpurea	3 to 9
5.1 to 5.5	Gentian	Gentiana sino-ornata	3 to 9
<6.0	Bowman’s root	Gillenia trifoliata	5 to 9
5.2 to 5.5	Hydrangea (blue flowers)	Hydrangea species	3 to 9
6.8	Iris	Iris (various)	3 to 8
6 to 7	Muscari	Liriope muscari	5 to 10
<6.8	False spikenard	Smilacina racemosa	2 to 8
<6.8	Stinking Benjamin	Trillium erectum	4 to 9
5.5 to 7	Merrybells, Bellwort	Uvularia grandiflora	3 to 9

7Aquatic & Bog Plants

pH Level	Common Name	Botanical Name	Minimum Hardiness Zone
6.1 to 6.5	Royal fern	Osmunda regalis	3 to 9
3 to 5	Pitcher plant	Sarraccenia flava	6

That’s quite a list. There are a lot more options for slightly acidic soil than alkaline, so count yourself lucky if yours leans this way.

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛