Growing vegetables on sand. Sandy soil - what and how to plant What plants love sandy soil

Not many deciduous tree crops grows well in poor sandy soils.

Their range, even more than that of conifers, is dictated by the presence of clay particles in the sand and shade on the site.

So let’s look at what deciduous trees and shrubs can be planted on sandy soils:

Barberries

Barberries (Berberis) are absolutely undemanding to soil; there are many varieties of different colors and habit. They are not afraid of strong winds and tolerate drought well.

All of them are photophilous, but grow well in partial shade. But the rich color of purple or yellow leaves will only appear when planted in full sun; plants growing in partial shade turn green.

For sandy soils, common barberry and Ottawa barberry (Berberis x ottawiensis), which is an interspecific hybrid obtained by crossing Thunberg barberry (B. thunbergii) and the purple-leaved form of common barberry (B. vulgaris f. Atropurpurea), are promising.

Silver birch (Betula pendula)

Unlike other birches, it is undemanding to soil, very light-loving and drought-resistant. There are many slow-growing varieties of silver birch with a split leaf shape and different colors, the maximum size of which in adulthood does not exceed 8-10 m. Grafted forms with a beautiful umbrella-shaped crown and a height of no more than 4 m are also interesting.

Bush cherry (steppe) (Cerasus fruticosa) dwarf (sand)

Low growing shrubs. Their fruits are purple-black, edible, and flower early and showy. In autumn, the leaves turn bright red. Very winter-hardy, drought-resistant and little demanding on the soil. Used to secure sandy dry slopes and landscaping rocky areas.

White dogwood (Cornus alba)

Beautiful shrub up to 3 meters tall. The foliage of various forms ranges in color from green to pale yellow, with a silver or creamy white edge. The bright color of the bark is especially effective against the background of snow. Looks good in single and group plantings, and is used in hedges. Over time, without pruning, the bottom becomes exposed. Pruning “to the stump” returns decorativeness. More information about the tree.

Gorse (Genista tincioria)

A low, fast-growing light-loving shrub is very beautiful during flowering. Prefers infertile soils, preferably calcareous. For the winter, light shelter is needed; when frosted, it quickly recovers and blooms. Particularly good on slopes and in rock gardens.

Dryad

Dryads are rightfully considered one of the most beautiful alpine woody plants. Caucasian dryad (Dryas caucasica Juz.), eight-petalled dryad (Dryas octopetala L) will decorate the rockery.

The Sundermann's dryad (Dryas x suendermannii Kellerer) is especially suitable for edging paths, as it will not be harmed if it is stepped on. They do not tolerate waterlogging, tolerate shading, and are easily grown even on an acidic substrate. Overwintering leaves can get scorched by the spring sun.

Norway willow (willow) (Salix acutifolia) is one of the most undemanding species of willow in terms of growing conditions. Brightly colored branches are also good in winter against a background of white snow. Creeping willow (Salix reptans) is a low, creeping shrub with rising and rooting stems. Flowering begins in May and ends at the end of July, beginning of August, which makes the plant very decorative.

Canadian serviceberry (Amelanchiercanadensis)

Large shrub up to 6 m tall. Elegant white racemose inflorescences adorn the shadberry for 7-10 days. The fruits are red at first, then turn black, have a pleasant taste and become a delicacy for birds. The autumn foliage colors are especially beautiful and varied.

Caragana tree (yellow acacia) (Caragana arborescens)

Frost-resistant, undemanding to soil conditions, drought-resistant. Very decorative, suitable for hedges. In spring, its blossoming leaves can delight you with the incomparable color of fresh greenery. A wonderful honey plant. Enriches the soil with nitrogen. There are interesting garden forms. The weeping form is very impressive.

Shiny cotoneaster (Сotoneasterlucidus), up to 2 m tall, is one of the best shrubs for creating moldable hedges. Its black round “berries” do not fall off until frost. Winter-hardy, unpretentious to soils, shade-tolerant.

Dammer cotoneaster (Сotoneasterdammerii)

It has creeping shoots, pressed to the ground and partially rooting. The dark green leathery small leaves are similar to evergreens and do not fall off for a long time. Small reddish flowers sitting on branches are good. In September, the shiny foliage goes very well with coral-red fruits, closely located on the shoots. In late autumn the leaves turn purple. Grows well in rocky or poor sandy soil. Looks great with junipers, especially in spring and autumn. The combination with small onions in the spring, decorative onions in the summer and colchicums in the fall is very elegant.

Most maples grow well on sandy soil: ash-leaved or American maple (Acer negundo), bearded maple (Acer barbinerve), yellow maple (birch maple) (Acer ukurunduense), Pennsylvania or striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) with longitudinal stripes bark

Kolkwitzia amabilis

A close relative of honeysuckle. An unusually beautiful shrub in the summer flowering period. Bright pink bell-shaped flowers cover the bush abundantly for 20 -25 days. In winter it may partially freeze over, but recovers the following year. Loves lighted places, but not the sun. As plants grow older, the winter hardiness of plants increases.

Alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus)

A small tree or shrub with a spreading crown. Has varietal forms. Decorative thanks to its bright green, glossy foliage. Used for trimmed hedges and fence plantings.

Gooseberry (Grossularia)

Perhaps the sweetest and healthiest berry in northern latitudes. With a skillful approach, gooseberries grow well and bear fruit in any soil. Poor sandy areas require annual application of organic and mineral fertilizers. To have a healthy plant and a good harvest, it is important to follow the pruning rules.

Cinquefoil, Kuril tea (Potentilla fruticosa)

Drought-resistant, undemanding to soil fertility. Frost-resistant, does not require winter shelter. Its main advantage is that it blooms for the longest time among shrubs. Cinquefoil is light-loving, but for varieties of orange, pink and red “colors” you should choose light partial shade, otherwise the flowers will fade greatly.

Silver oleaster (Elaeagnus argentea)

A small deciduous tree, often growing as a bush, with beautiful silvery shoots and leaves, fragrant flowers, and drupes. Unpretentious, able to grow on extremely poor soils, light-loving, drought-resistant, good honey plant.

Due to the presence of nodules on the roots containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria, suckers are soil-improving species. Elf is good in compositions with red-leaved and golden forms of deciduous shrubs and conifers; in the form of hedges and when creating contrasting groups against a background of dark greenery.

Mahonia aquifolia

An interesting evergreen shrub with large leathery shiny leaves. Numerous yellow flowers at the ends of the shoots appear in early May and last for a month. Decorative throughout the year. Shade-tolerant. Produces abundant root shoots, forming beautiful low thickets.

Sweet raspberry (Rubus odoratus)

Deciduous shrub with large leaves up to 20 cm, similar to maple. Fragrant pink flowers up to 5 cm in diameter adorn the plant from June throughout the summer. It is used as undergrowth and decorates inconveniences well.

Steppe almond, bean (Amygdalus nana = Prunus nana)

Up to 1.5 m in height, it delights with delicate pink flowers in late April - early May. Drought-resistant and frost-resistant, undemanding to soil.

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)

It grows well on sand and produces numerous shoots. Tree or shrub up to 6 m tall with yellowish-gray bark. Young shoots end in spines and the leaves are silvery. The plant is dioecious. The berries are orange, edible and very healthy.

Physocarpos opulifolius

A large shrub up to 3 m tall with slightly spreading branches, it has several decorative forms that differ in the color of the leaves. It blooms in June with corymbose inflorescences of small pinkish-white flowers. The fruits are also decorative - swollen leaflets, which, as they ripen, change color from green to reddish-pink.

Broom (Chamaecytisus)

Mostly unpretentious shrubs from 0.5 to 3 m in height with yellow moth flowers. Many of them are suitable for decorating and strengthening sandy slopes and wastelands; others are excellent ornamental plants for group and single plantings, protective plantings, and borders. Varieties with fragrant flowers are of considerable interest.

Robinia pseudoacacia

White acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a long-living (up to 400 years) tree up to 30 m tall. Very light-loving and drought-resistant. Young plants can freeze slightly, but if they are kept under the snow, the roots and root collar quickly recover. Winter hardiness increases with age.

Robinia shares similarities with acacia because it belongs to the legume family, has feathery leaves and thorny branches. Valued for its openwork multi-tiered crown, beautiful leaves and very fragrant, white or slightly pinkish flowers in long drooping racemes. It blooms profusely in mid-June, at this time it is very decorative and spreads fragrant waves far around it. There are many forms in culture.

Wrinkled rose, or R. rugosa (Rosa rugosa)

In nature, it grows in groups or in thickets on sandy or sandy-pebble sea coasts, in coastal meadows. Light-loving and drought-resistant, up to 2.5 m tall, covered in numerous reddish thorns. The main species and hybrids have large – up to 12 cm – fragrant flowers of various colors.

They bloom all summer, especially abundantly in June, often repeatedly, so you can simultaneously observe buds, flowers and ripe fruits on the bush. The fruits are large, orange-red, fleshy, up to 2.5 cm in diameter.

Rose Glauca (Rosaglauca)

The leaves and shoots of this tall shrub have a bluish-gray bloom. It blooms once in June with bright pink flowers. Grows quickly and is undemanding to soil. Does not form offspring. Read more about Rose Glauca.

Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

In our climate, boxwood is grown as a shrub, the height of which mainly depends on the depth of the snow cover. But the drying winter winds and the scorching spring sun have a more detrimental effect on it. If you take these factors into account when choosing a location, bright green trimmed boxwoods will bring a Mediterranean flavor to the garden. All parts of the plant and especially the leaves are poisonous.

Hungarian lilac (Syringa josikaea)

Up to 3 m tall, unlike common lilac, it grows well on any soil. Very frost-resistant and drought-resistant. You can keep it in a lower and fluffy form by pruning, then the flowering will be more abundant. Easily propagated by seeds, layering and cuttings.

Golden currant (Ribes aureum)

Tall, up to 2 meters, winter-hardy shrub, undemanding to soil. This species is one of the few that combines an ornamental and a berry plant. The flowers are golden-yellow with a pleasant aroma, the berries are sweet and sour and edible. The autumn color of the foliage is very attractive. Well suited for hedges or mixed borders. Golden currants can be grown in standard form.

White snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)

Low, up to 1.5 meters tall, deciduous shrub. Thanks to the abundant long-term flowering and white berry-like fruits, the bushes look very elegant from spring to late autumn. Prefers calcareous soils and does not require watering.

Dachas are dachas, but many people nowadays sell “stuffy” city apartments, add their hard-earned funds and buy country housing with clean fresh air and a river nearby.

Many holiday villages are located in close proximity to coniferous forests. Their key feature is sandy soil. Accordingly, if you want to plant a vegetable garden, flower garden or orchard on your property, you will have to take into account a number of key features or transport a lot of fertile land by truck.

Sandy soil quickly warms up and retains heat for a long time, allows air to pass well to the roots of plants, but quickly loses moisture. At the same time, the water takes with it those insignificant particles of organic matter that slowly accumulated in the upper, more fertile layer.

What to do? Should I give up gardening altogether in this situation? It's not all bad. There are plants that tolerate sandy soils relatively well:

• junipers (various types);
• yews;
• barberry;
• white snowberry;
• Canadian serviceberry;
• spirea;
• Hungarian lilac;
• felt cherry;
• cherry plum;
• gooseberry;
• raspberries;
• sea ​​​​buckthorn;
• rose wrinkled;
• hawthorn;
• Russian broom;
• currant.

Plant plants with a good root ball in sandy soil. Seedlings with a bare root system are more likely to not really take root in the sand.

Crops from the list above will grow well without adding fertile types of surface soil. All that is required of you is timely watering, application of organic and mineral fertilizers (individually for each specific species).

On sandy soils, it is necessary to water not only at the root, but also around it, so that the roots have an incentive to develop a larger area. In the future, plants with a well-developed root system will be able to fully realize their potential even on such poor soil.

To better retain moisture in sandy soil, you can add peat at the rate of 2 parts peat to 1 part sand. Adding agroperlite to the composition will be even more effective. This volcanic rock retains moisture in the soil very well and gradually releases it to plant roots as needed.

In addition to peat and perlite, spot application of hydrogel is more justified on sandy soils. From the moment the plant roots grow into the hydrogel granules, they will be fully provided with a sufficient amount of moisture.

As an additional measure, it is recommended to use mulching on sandy soils. You can use fine pine bark, wood chips or other available materials. As a result, the evaporation of moisture, especially in hot sunny weather, from the upper layers of the soil will sharply decrease.

If your site has sandy soil, then this is not a reason to refuse to create a flower bed. You can mechanically change the composition of the soil. But you can also choose plants that grow well on such soil, because this is a familiar environment for them.

Characteristics of sandy soil:

1. Practically does not retain moisture;

2. Requires more fertilizing;

3. It freezes quickly and deeply and warms up just as well.

To create a flower bed on such soil, it is necessary that the lack of moisture and fertilizing for the plant is not critical for its existence. Let's consider the most suitable types of flowering plants for this soil.

Perennial. A ground cover plant that dots the entire flowerbed with small bright pink-purple flowers. But the color can also be white, red and light pink. The height of the peduncle is 10-25 cm. The leaves are narrow, flat, lily-like, located only near the root. The peduncle itself is leafless. Flowering begins in June and lasts about 2 months. Winter-hardy and does not require shelter.

Depending on the variety, it reaches 30-60 cm in height. The bush is hemispherical in shape, with pubescent stems. The leaves are narrow, lanceolate. There can be up to 15 flowers on a stem. The flowers are blue-lilac, can be pink, blue, lilac and lilac. Blooms from the second half of July to September.

Perennial crop. Height from 0.9 to 1.5 m. Powerful and branched bush. The flowers are painted in white, yellow, apricot and pink tones. Small flowers (up to 3 cm) are beautifully arranged on one inflorescence. It begins to bloom in May and until September.

Low-growing - 20-30 cm. The flowers are double or semi-double, the structure resembles a chamomile with a diameter of up to 10 cm. The inflorescences are bright and of various colors: white, cream, yellow, red, lemon, raspberry, orange, bronze. With stripes along the sheet, strokes or plain. Suitable for cutting for bouquets. The leaves are dark green with hairs on the back of the leaf. One inflorescence can bloom for up to 20 days. It blooms from the second decade of June until frost.

Perennial. It reaches a height of 30 cm. The leaves are lily-lanceolate, narrow, sometimes crescent-shaped, slightly rough underneath. The flowers are white, very rarely pinkish, with pointed teeth and pronounced hairy stamens. It begins to bloom in July and ends in September.

It is considered a deciduous perennial shrub. Up to 2 m high, the leaves are green, ovate, up to 10 cm in diameter. The flowers are simple or double. The color ranges from white to crimson, sometimes even bicolor. Flowering occurs from July to September.

Plant height is 25-50 cm. The stem is highly branched, almost bare. The leaves are narrow, gray-green, small, drooping. The flowers are small, up to 0.5 cm, white or pink, double or simple. Blooms in June and blooms until August.

Cosmea or space

Annual or perennial crop. It can grow up to 150 cm in height. The stems are flexible, thin, and straight. The leaves are green, dissected. Flowers can be single, semi-double or double, pink, white or purple. Flowering continues from June until frost.

Low growing bush. Maximum height up to 40 cm. Leaves are dark green, narrow. The flowers are small pink, white, blue collected in tassels. With a pleasant fragrant aroma. Flowering period June-October.

Perennial. Up to 1 m tall. The stem is strong and weakly branched. The leaves are shiny, large, bright green. The flowers are collected in paniculate inflorescences at the top of the peduncle with a tube and a two-lipped limb. Blue, white, pink, red, purple. Flowering period - May - July.

Creeping thyme (thyme)

People call it Bogorodskaya grass, due to the fact that it is customary to decorate icons with bunches of it on the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Perennial subshrub. The stem is creeping, branched. The leaves are small, oval, ovate. The flowers are two-lipped, red-violet, collected at the end of the stem in a capitate inflorescence. Blooms in June-July.

Rosehip wrinkled

An upright deciduous shrub, reaching a height of up to 2 m, it is used for medicinal purposes because it is very rich in vitamin C. Old branches of the bush become woody and acquire a dark color, while young branches are drooping and light green. All shoots are covered with thorns. The leaves are oval, green, with veins, arranged in 5-7 pieces. on the petiole. The flowers are large, up to 7 cm, can be 2 on one peduncle, light or dark pink in color with a yellow, villous center. The fruits are spherical-flattened, green at first, and then after a while they become orange-red or burgundy. It is these fruits that are valuable for medicine. You can also add dried flower petals to tea. Flowering begins in May and continues until late autumn.

Grow these plants in sandy soil and your flowerbed will look beautiful and vibrant.

When my parents bought a house in the village as a summer cottage, they were guided only by the beauty of the surrounding places: the high bank of the Volga, forests and meadows all around... But they didn’t seriously think about how the plants would feel on this land.
The villagers successfully grew vegetables and strawberries, but as far as I remember, they constantly watered their gardens. The local soil does not hold moisture at all - the village stands on a sandy hill, about thirty meters to the aquifer.

As a child, naturally, this issue did not bother me - my parents took care of the vegetable garden. But then, when I grew up and became truly interested in floriculture, the problem of watering arose in full force. For several years now I have been able to go to the dacha only once every two or three weeks, on weekends. There is no running water on the site and is not expected, and rain clouds, by some whim of nature, very often bypass our dacha: it’s damp all around, but here it’s good if the rain blows down the dust.

Selected by trial and error plants that can not only survive, but also grow decently in sandy soil with very little watering. For example, I had to come to terms with the fact that the much-loved hostas in my garden would probably not reach full decorative value. Therefore, varieties that I cannot refuse have to be planted in the shade; in the sun they will simply die without watering.

In addition, when planting, you also need to add it directly into the planting hole. clay and humus-This somehow retains moisture. At one time I tried to use a special hydrogel, but it is quite expensive and does not provide a long-term effect - it decomposes in the soil over time. In general, moisture-loving plants require too much effort, so I try to keep the number of such plants to a minimum.

From large plants for the background of the flower garden in my conditions, basil leaves (columbine, light-colored, dipterous, simple), aquilegia, all kinds of aconites with different flowering periods (tall species, such as hooded, northern, Lamarck, Carmichel), foxgloves, poskonnik, Syrian and meat-red cottonworts feel good (despite their moisture-loving nature, they live with me almost without watering), paniculate phlox, New England asters, autumn helenium, common delphiniums (D. flexuosum) and tall (D. elatum), macleia, large-flowered capitol, Siberian and pseudoairoid irises.

As plants for the middle tier I selected different varieties and types of daylilies, lilies, bearded irises, woolly irises, hyssop, sages (lush, oak and meadow), liatris, monarda, geraniums (majestic, blood red and Georgian), Physostegia virginiana, purple mullein, peach bells and milky-flowered, all kinds of “daisies” - meadow poppy, echinacea (species and variety White Fresh with white flowers), Korean chrysanthemums, again aconites, but lower (woolly, hard and Fischer), sedums (prominent and hybrid sedums - variety Matrona, For example). I haven’t forgotten low-growing shrubs, such as Japanese spirea and dwarf Thunberg barberries with different foliage colors; they decorate the flower garden with a bright spot of color.

I almost never use annuals, but to get additional spots of color in the spring I sow Salvia Horminum into the flower beds: it has time to grow and bloom until the fall. And as an openwork yellowish-green addition to the perennials, the usual dill of the Umbrella variety has taken root.

Various burnets, crown lychnis, eryngium, onions and common oregano complement flower beds very well and give them transparency and lightness. Oregano is generally one of my favorite plants; it creates a feeling of light lilac-pinkish haze in flower beds, which is especially beautiful during the period when lilies are blooming. Lychnis, oregano and eryngium are also good because they successfully reproduce by self-sowing; all I have to do is weed out their seedlings that have grown in undesirable places.

I love all kinds herbs: miscanthus, phalaris, reed grass, sandy and Magellanic elymus, pearl barley (high and ciliated), various pikes, tuberous ryegrass, feather grass, briza, fescue and maned barley. They also add airiness to flower beds, and when even the lightest breeze sways them, they greatly enliven the garden with their quiet rustling and the play of light and shadow in the swaying stems.

Candidates for the very front edge of the border in a dry, sunny flower garden: alpine aster, large-rhizome geranium, Ruysch's snakehead, carnations (grass, sandy, lush, Amur), dwarf bearded irises, various ground cover plants - low-growing sedums, different types of thymes, carnation (felt and Biberstein), related knotweed, subulate phlox.

To save moisture It would be good to mulch the soil in such flower beds, for example, mown grass. But I prefer groundcover perennials: a soil surface completely covered by plants, in my opinion, looks more natural. Of course, in very dry years, even a flower garden with such a seemingly reliable set of plants still occasionally needs watering, but two or three times throughout the summer is enough. When the plants grow properly, the main care comes down to just weeding. The flower garden is decorated with spring small-bulbous plants - iridodictiums, chionodoxes, scillas, crocuses, muscari. Then they are replaced by tulips, which I plant in the fall in special baskets for bulbs and carefully dig between the perennials. When the tulips fade and the foliage begins to spoil the appearance of the flower garden, I simply dig up the bulbs along with baskets and a lump of earth and dig them into a spare bed so that they complete the growing season.

BAKULINA Kostroma region.

• Sand does not retain moisture well, which does not remain in the root layer, but seeps down or evaporates. The slightest interruptions in rain lead to drought.
• The sands of the middle zone, especially open ones, are very poor in nutrients. Excellent breathability ensures rapid decomposition of nutrients into mineral components. Rain easily washes away both organic and mineral fertilizers. Humus practically does not accumulate, and the leaching of alkali salts and metals from sand makes them acidic.
• Sandy soils freeze deeply.

And three virtues

• They are easy to dig in any weather.
• Good air permeability promotes the development of plant roots.
• Sandy soils are “warm” - they warm up well and quickly even in a damp state, about a week earlier than clay soils.

In order for a variety of plants to grow in the garden and vegetable garden, you will have to organize regular watering and take care to maintain moisture in the soil, especially in wasteland. The preservation of moisture is facilitated by the specific treatment: sand is dug up in wet weather or after good watering and the surface is leveled. You shouldn’t dig too much: it’s better to loosen the surface and use herbicides. Planting plants requires special attention: they must be watered abundantly and mulched on top with sawdust, peat, and crushed bark to reduce evaporation. Plants will have to be constantly fed, taking special care - the “metabolism” in sand is not the same as in clay. Even a small overuse of lime makes many microelements unavailable to plants, and artificial drought appears in the soil. Mineral fertilizers must also be applied carefully, especially nitrogen fertilizers. They promote leaching, which leads to magnesium and calcium deficiency. Organic fertilizers are preferred: compost, rotted manure, lowland peat, sapropel. They are embedded to the depth of a spade bayonet. The addition of clay improves moisture retention and promotes humus formation. But this is already a strategic task to which further years of development of the site can be devoted.