Chalk it up.. Gardening.

Byline: PIPPA GREENWOOD

Every area of the country has different soil - in fact, what's outside your back door may well even vary a lot from the soil in a neighbour's garden. But among those that fill gardeners' hearts with dread is "alkaline" or chalky soil.

I'm the first to admit that it can be restricting - some plants just won't be happy with it - but, believe me, there's a lot you can do and plenty you can grow if you have the knowledge.

I should know - I have it in my own garden...

(1) Mulch it over Mulching plants, or putting down a layer of bulky organic matter on the soil, will help to keep down weeds and reduce moisture loss, while some mulches may introduce nutrients, too.

But avoid using the much-loved mushroom compost. It contains a lot of chalk and will make your soil even more alkaline. Instead, use garden compost, composted bark or composted bracken.

(2) Watch the wall Walls contain mortar between the bricks, which is generally pretty strongly alkaline.

As time passes the mortar will be weathered by wind and rain so soil beneath or close to a wall may well become even more alkaline than the rest of your garden. So grow lime-tolerant plants in this spot.

(3) Dig out rubble If the builders have been in, or your house is new and has a thin topsoil spread over all sorts, including builders' rubble, there may well be areas of extra-alkaline soil here, too.

Cement, concrete and other rubble is alkaline so dig out as much as you can.

(4) Raise it up Raised beds can be the answer if you really can't do without your limehaters. To work well, they really need to be built with walls at least 1m deep - and not made from anything limey.

Fill the beds with acidic soil, or a mixture of acidic soil and ericaceous compost, and get planting.

(5) Feed it right Alkaline and chalky soils have what's called a high pH and under these conditions certain nutrients can become a little lacking.

In small areas, dressing the soil with powdered sulphur (available from larger garden centres) can help to lower the pH or make the soil slightly less acidic - follow the instructions on the pack.

(6) Take time for a cuppa Tea is full of tannic acid and tea leaves make a great compost or soil acidifier. Pour the dregs from the teapot and chuck any old tea bags on to your garden.

(7) Potted glory Some acid-loving plants, which would hate to be planted directly into your soil, will perform well in pots. Azaleas and camellias are a good example of this.

Grow them in decent-sized pots full of ericaceous compost and then either enjoy them as they stand on the patio or just pop the pots in among your other plants so they blend in.

(8) Mineral top-up In an alkaline soil, certain nutrients can become locked up and unavailable for plants to use, in particular iron and manganese, which are needed for growth and to keep leaves green.

Treat plants with a special acid-loving plant food or a chelated iron feed and they're less likely to show the tell-tale signs of yellowing between veins on the leaves.

Buy of the week

If you like the look of ceramic pots in your garden but have been disappointed with how they fare in cold weather, check out the brand-new ceramic look-a-likes from Sankey. These great-looking Verona pots will bring a touch of the Med to your garden but, because they're not actually ceramic, they're lightweight and very durable and come with a five-year, frost-proof guarantee.

Available in high-gloss red or blue, and in two sizes, they cost pounds 19.99 (47cm/19in) and pounds 16.99 (36cm/15in). Email [e-mail], call 0115 927 7335 or visit the website, www.rsankey.com.

Sow your own salad

If you're fed up with the pricey yet tasteless bags of salad leaves from supermarkets, sow your own. A packet of assorted leaves seed will cost about the price of a single packet of those dreary mixed leaves. All you need, apart from the seed, is a 6-18in (15-45cm) pot and compost.

1 Put broken flowerpot pieces or stones in the base of the pot for drainage and extra stability, and add the compost, filling the pot to within about 2cm of its rim.

2 Firm the compost lightly and water so it's moist but not soggy, then level off the surface again if necessary.

3 Scatter some of the seed thinly over the compost surface, ideally getting about one seed every inch or so (that's really not many seeds!).

4 Sprinkle a small amount of compost over the seeds so that they're only just covered up.

5 Place the pot on a well-lit windowsill or in a warm, sheltered spot outside. Keep the compost just moist and in just few weeks you should be picking your own!

TOP LIME LOVERS

These tolerate a limey soil well:

Aesculus

Cercis siliquastrum

Malus, Prunus sargentii

Pyrus, Sorbus aria

Aucuba japonica

Buddleia davidii

Cistus

Choisya ternata

Forsythia 

Hebe

Lonicera

Philadelphus

Potentilla

Syringa 

Viburnum 

CAPTION(S):

VIVID: Potentilla THRIVING: Buddleia davidii likes alkaline soil PRETTY: Cistus BLOOMS: Viburnums thrive in alkaline soil