Many rock plants make poor growth in soil slightly acid or neutral, though some large groups, as Anemone, Gentiana, Iris, and Primula have a family disagreement, and certain species are sharply set apart from their relatives in soil preference, some asking acid and others demanding lime.
In a region of soil normally acid (one of leafmold with heavy rainfall), the soil must be doctored with lime, or the culture of the alkali lovers is hopeless. These are the calciphiles or calcitropes, for they love lime and turn toward it; for example, the Clover and the Mustard families.
As a group, they like dry conditions in full sun and are true subjects for a rock garden. Broken mortar, from plastering, brickwork, outdoor fountains or other garden water features and ashes from hard coal may be used in the soil mixture in place of sand. The wild flowers from our western plains (not from the high mountains, which give acid conditions) grow poorly in New England. Possibly they regret the lack of their native alkali.
- Aethionema (all species)
- Androsace chamaejasme, Dwarf Rock-jasmine
- Helvetica, Swiss Rock-jasmine
- Pubescens, Downy Rock-jasmine
- Anemone alpina, Alpine Anemone
- Anthyllis montana, Mountain Woundwort
- Arenaria verna, Tufted Sandwort
- Asplenium ruta-muraria, Wall-rue Spleenwort
- Viride, Green Spleenwort
- Astragalus hypoglottis, Tongue Milkvetch
- Aubrietia deltoidea, Aubrietia
- Camptosorus rhizophyllus, Walking Fern
- Cryptogramma stelleri, Slender Rockbrake
- Dianthus alpinus, Alpine Pink
- Glacialis, Ice Pink
- Zonatus, Banded Pink, etc.
- Draba arabisans, Rockcress Whitlowgrass
- Incana, Hoary Whitlowgrass
- Erysimum rupestre, Asiatic Blistercress
- Gentiana angustifolia, Narrowleaf Gentian
- Clusii, Clusius Gentian
- Helianthemum canum, Hoary Sunrose
- Heuchera (all species)
- Hippocrepis comosa, Tufted Horseshoe-vetch
- Hutchinsia alpina, Alpencress
- Iris pumila, Dwarf Crimean Iris
- Lesquerella alpina, Alpine Bladderpod
- Argentea, Silvery Bladderpod
- Linaria petraea, Cliff Toadflax
- Lithospermum linearifolium, Lineleaf Puccoon
- Xotholaena dealbata, Powdery Cloakfern
- Opuntia arenaria, Sand Cactus
- Vulgaris, Eastern Prickly-pear, etc.
- Oxytropis lamberti, Stemless Locoweed
- Splendens, Showy Oxytrope
- Papaver alpinum, Alpine Poppy
- Pellaea atropurpurea, Purple Cliffbrake
- Densa, Podfern
- Phyllitis scolopendrium, Hartstongue
- Primula mistassinica, Dwarf Canadian Primrose, etc.
- Saxifraga aizoides, Yellow Mountain Saxifrage
- Aizoon, Aizoon Saxifrage
- Oppositifolia, Twinleaf Saxifrage, etc.
- Sempervivum (all species)
- Woodsia ilvensis, Rusty Woodsia
- Obtusa, Common Woodsia
- Oregana, Oregon Woodsia
- Scopulina, Rocky Mountain Woodsia
(one of leafmold with heavy rainfall), the soil must be doctored with lime, or the culture of the alkali lovers is hopeless. These are the calciphiles or calcitropes, for they love lime and turn toward it; for example, the Clover and the Mustard families.
As a group, they like dry conditions in full sun and are true subjects for a rock garden. Broken mortar, from plastering, brickwork, outdoor fountains or other garden water features and ashes from hard coal may be used in the soil mixture in place of sand. The wild flowers from our western plains (not from the high mountains, which give acid conditions) grow poorly in New England. Possibly they regret the lack of their native alkali.
- Aethionema (all species)
- Androsace chamaejasme, Dwarf Rock-jasmine
- Helvetica, Swiss Rock-jasmine
- Pubescens, Downy Rock-jasmine
- Anemone alpina, Alpine Anemone
- Anthyllis montana, Mountain Woundwort
- Arenaria verna, Tufted Sandwort
- Asplenium ruta-muraria, Wall-rue Spleenwort
- Viride, Green Spleenwort
- Astragalus hypoglottis, Tongue Milkvetch
- Aubrietia deltoidea, Aubrietia
- Camptosorus rhizophyllus, Walking Fern
- Cryptogramma stelleri, Slender Rockbrake
- Dianthus alpinus, Alpine Pink
- Glacialis, Ice Pink
- Zonatus, Banded Pink, etc.
- Draba arabisans, Rockcress Whitlowgrass
- Incana, Hoary Whitlowgrass
- Erysimum rupestre, Asiatic Blistercress
- Gentiana angustifolia, Narrowleaf Gentian
- Clusii, Clusius Gentian
- Helianthemum canum, Hoary Sunrose
- Heuchera (all species)
- Hippocrepis comosa, Tufted Horseshoe-vetch
- Hutchinsia alpina, Alpencress
- Iris pumila, Dwarf Crimean Iris
- Lesquerella alpina, Alpine Bladderpod
- Argentea, Silvery Bladderpod
- Linaria petraea, Cliff Toadflax
- Lithospermum linearifolium, Lineleaf Puccoon
- Xotholaena dealbata, Powdery Cloakfern
- Opuntia arenaria, Sand Cactus
- Vulgaris, Eastern Prickly-pear, etc.
- Oxytropis lamberti, Stemless Locoweed
- Splendens, Showy Oxytrope
- Papaver alpinum, Alpine Poppy
- Pellaea atropurpurea, Purple Cliffbrake
- Densa, Podfern
- Phyllitis scolopendrium, Hartstongue
- Primula mistassinica, Dwarf Canadian Primrose, etc.
- Saxifraga aizoides, Yellow Mountain Saxifrage
- Aizoon, Aizoon Saxifrage
- Oppositifolia, Twinleaf Saxifrage, etc.
- Sempervivum (all species)
- Woodsia ilvensis, Rusty Woodsia
- Obtusa, Common Woodsia
- Oregana, Oregon Woodsia
- Scopulina, Rocky Mountain Woodsia
Tags: garden water features | garden water features | outdoor fountains | outdoor fountains | rock garden | rock garden | rock plants | alkali | lime | lime | soil
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