Checking the soil in your garden to see if it will be suitable for raising the herbaceous plants that you want
Herbaceous plants were able to evolve to adapt to sunny, semi-shady or shady positions. Sneezewort (Helenium), ballon flower (Platycodon) and red hot pocker (Kniphofia) flourish in sunny positions, producing best flowering results in summer.
The soil
You must check the soil in your garden to see if it will be suitable for raising the herbaceous plants that you want. Bedding and large herbaceous plants thrive in soil that is loose, fine, and crumbly structured. Soil that has a high organic material content is (humus) perfect for all herbaceous plants. Soil must be damp to medium moist and must neither be acid nor alkaline.
Soil type
You can test the type of soil you have in your garden by taking a sample from a depth of about 15-20cm between your fingers and then squeezing it. If the soil sifts through your fingers then it's most likely to be sand. Sandy loam tends to crumble while clay soil feels very soft (like butter). If you can shape the soil into small balls then it is loamy soil.
Sandy soils
They are very light and have large grains that allow plenty of air to press through. Sandy soils are also very well drained and dry out easily. Sandy soil is perfect for herbaceous plants such as pinks (Dianthus) and thrift (Anmeria). Larger bedding herbaceous plants however require more compost doses.
Loamy and sandy loamy soil
They are heavier than sand soils. They are also well ventilated and retain sufficient water amounts. Herbaceous plants love loamy and sandy soil
Clay soils
They are regarded as very heavy soil. They are less aerated than the above soil types and tend to store more water than is necessary for the herbaceous plant. The soil should be mixed with coarse-grained material and humus to assist the herbaceous plants to push their roots through the soil easily.
Degree of acidity
The degree of acidity or alkalinity of the soil is determined by its pH factor. There are 3 categories of pH range associated with herbaceous plants.
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Most of the herbaceous plants grow on neutral soil with pH between 5,5 and 7
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Acid soils have pH values between 5,5 in which lupias (Lupinus), saxifrage ( saxifrage x arendsil) and iris (Iris)
Soil can be neutralized by adding lime. Lime is widely available from most garden centers. Follow usage instructions specified by the manufacturer. Alkaline soils with values above 7 are suitable for all asters (Asters), Leucanthemum maximum and obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana).
Compacted and water logged soil
Soil that is compacted normally gets water logged easily. Compacted soil is common in gardens of newly build houses. When it rains the water remains lying in puddles and drains very slowly. Compacted soil can be loosened using a lot of different techniques.