10 Perennials for Acidic Soil

Perennial blooms come back year after year. So, they’ve got a higher return on investment for gardeners.

However, their blooming season is shorter. As a result, you’ll need to plant a variety for maintaining the colors around your haven.

This makes a challenge for gardens with low pH levels as most plants tend to thrive in neutral soil.

In this article, we’ll highlight 10 perennials for acidic soil that’ll sustain the vibrancy in your garden.

1. Daylilies (​Hemerocallis spp.​)

These hardy plants grow up to four feet high. Their flowers come in various colors, including yellow and pink shades. A single flower only lives for one day, on average. However, each plant produces from 200 to 400 flowers, quickly replacing the withered buds.

Overall, the blooming season would last for around 30 to 40 days throughout the summertime. Daylilies are drought-tolerant but they thrive in moist soil, so they’ll typically require weekly watering.

  • Growing Zone: 4 to 9
  • Blooming Season: mid-summer till late summer
  • Sunlight Conditions: total sun exposure or partial shade

2. Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)

The famed bleeding heart flower has elegant pink petals. It grows up to 36 inches high and has a spread of one to three feet.

This plant is ideal for shaded borders and makes an attractive addition to flower bouquets. It can last up to two weeks in a vase.

Although bleeding hearts prefer slightly alkaline soil, they’re tolerant to acidic conditions as well. Keep their soil moist and well-drained for better results.

  • Growing Zone: 3 to 9
  • Blooming Season: late spring to early summer
  • Sunlight conditions: light shade

3. Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

Belonging to the dogwood family, this creeping perennial reaches up to nine inches in height. Its clusters of yellowish flowers are surrounded by four large white bracts.

The red berry-like fruits, following the flowers, are edible and can be added to puddings or sauces. They’ll also attract birds to your garden. The Bunchberry plant lives in well-drained soil, so you’ll need to be cautious of overwatering.

  • Growing Zone: 1 to 7
  • Blooming Season: late spring to mid-summer
  • Sunlight Conditions: total sun exposure to part shade

4. Sweet Vernal Grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum)

You can grow this flowering grass for lawns or as a houseplant. Its cylindrical flowers are closely-packed inside spikelets.

This plant is grown for its vanilla-like sweet fragrance, which is produced by the chemical coumarin in its leaves. If left intact, it can grow up to 20 inches in height.

Sweet vernal grass is easy to grow, requiring moist, acidic soil. However, it’s better to keep it in containers to prevent its spread to unwanted areas.

  • Growing Zone:  6 to 10
  • Blooming Season: mid-spring to mid-summer
  • Sunlight conditions: total sun exposure to light shade

5. Mountain Ash (Sorbus americana)

Mountain Ash is a small perennial tree that typically reaches 15 to 20 feet in height. Even more, it can grow to become 15 feet tall in favorable conditions. The plant prefers moist, well-drained soil that’s enriched with humus.

This tree has clusters of small white flowers. They’re followed by bright red berries. On top of that, the deciduous leaves turn golden-orange in autumn, adding warm colors to your garden.

  • Growing Zone: 3 to 6
  • Blooming Season: mid-spring till mid-summer
  • Sunlight Conditions: total sun exposure to part-shade

6. Vancouveria hexandra (White Inside-Out-Flower)

Here’s another creeping plant with multiple heart-shaped small leaves. In the blooming season, dozens of white flowers grow on each stem, starting from the base.

The flower got its name because its sepals and petals are turned to the back while its core is exposed. This plant thrives in moist, well-drained soil, growing up to 18 inches in height. You’ll still need to protect it from cold, dry winds.

  • Growing Zone: 5 to 8
  • Blooming Season: late spring to early summer
  • Sunlight conditions: part shade to full shade

7. Narcissus Actaea (Poeticus Daffodil)

Actaea is an award-winning garden plant that has a soothing fragrant smell. Growing up to two inches high, each stem produces one flower atop multiple leaves. Its elegant flowers have six white petals and red-edged yellow cups at the center.

This plant thrives in moist, poorly-drained soil, so you’ll need to water it more than other daffodils. You can reduce watering after the growing season when the leaves start to wither.

  • Growing Zone: 1 to 9
  • Blooming Season: mid to late spring
  • Sunlight conditions: total to partial sun exposure

8. Achillea Millefolium New Vintage Red (Yarrow)

This plant’s flowers are grouped in brilliant spreading clusters. They have pinkish-red color petals and cream-colored centers. With its upright branching stems, this plant reaches 14 inches in height.

Once established, the Achillea Millefolium New Vintage Red is drought-tolerant, so it prefers dry to medium moisture soils. We’d recommend regular deadheading to extend the flowering season.

  • Growing Zone: 1 to 9
  • Blooming Season: early summer to early autumn
  • Sunlight conditions: total sun exposure

9. Viola Rostrata (Long Spurred Violet)

This perennial is low-growing, so its height is limited to eight inches tall. Still, it’s got attractive purple flowers and heart-shaped, dark green leaves.

Viola Rostrata thrives in moist, well-drained soil enriched with organic matter. If the conditions are ideal, the plant will likely self-seed, so you can expect more blooms in the following season.

  • Growing Zone: 3 to 8
  • Blooming Season: mid-spring to early summer
  • Sunlight Conditions: part shade to full shade

10. Zantedeschia aethiopica (Calla Lily)

The beloved Calla Lily flowers are scientifically known as spathes. Their trumpet shape embraces a yellow spadix. Long, stiff stems raise the huge spathes to heights ranging from two to three feet.

These plants are easy to grow, requiring minimal care. Ensure their soil is consistently moist and avoid overwatering to prevent root rot.

  • Growing Zone: 4 to 10
  • Blooming Season: late spring to early summer
  • Sunlight Conditions: total sun exposure to part shade

Wrap Up

We understand every grower’s passion for color in their garden. So, we’ve listed 10 perennials for acidic soil that’ll help you overcome this challenge.

Thankfully, there are plants that will thrive in every condition. All you’ll need is to locate those perennials wisely to compensate for the withering blooms.