Smilacina racemosa

Elfer

I really like this plant otherwise known as False Solomon's seal but they don't seem to like lime rich soil which is what I have in chalky Hampshire. I can dig a hole 40 x 40 cm and add lots of ericaceous compost to give it a fighting chance but of course tap water would offset the balance in the long run so just wondering if anyone has grown this plant successfully in chalky soil.

Pete.8

Making a hole and adding ericaceous compost will not make any significant difference to the pH of your soil in that area I'm afraid.
Within a short space of time the pH of the surrounding soil will change the pH of the compost you add to match the surrounding soil.
In techie terms, soil is a strong buffer i.e. it resists change.

But see if someone replies who has grown them in similar soil. Where I live the soil is only barely acidic, but acers and rhododendrons thrive

Elfer

Not a soil expert but did test a few inches below my lawn and it was slightly over 6.5 and I need to do the lawn as it has a very shallow topsoil not enough to promote strong roots (typical developer lawn). I do have very dense chalk in some sections though but I always break it up and remove the big stones and mix in plenty of organic matter before planting. While its early days so far I haven't had any real problems and all plants seem to do well including Hydrangeas of different variety. Most guidance sites do say that Acer's like neutral to acidic soil but they are more forgiving, I have had an Acer palmatum dissectum in my border for over 3 years and it is thriving so hoping that perhaps this plant is as forgiving if the soil has been prepared correctly.

Pete.8

There's only one way to find out - go for it