Hello all,
Can anyone tell me whether my thinking is too wishful:
I'd love to add something pretty and evergreen - camellia. Now I don't have acid soil. Is there a way to just remove the soil from the corner, add eracious compost and have one acidic soil corner where I could plant camellia? Then keeping an eye and adding sulphur or acid water or compost when necessary?

Maybe you have an idea for another type of tall eveergreen plant which flowers for regular soil? Please let me know.
Context: we bought a house and need to sort fencing and remove some of the cedar hedge as it gives quite a graveyardy vibe but would love to add sth so the view into our living room is a bit obstructed.

Thanks 🌳

What is your soil ph?

They say that sulfur can be used to acidify soil. I don't personally know.

I guess that you could try dumping coffee grounds in that corner...
Camellia get pretty large... It may not be practical...

you might should check with the royal horticultural society...

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/...

You can also grow camellias in containers in an ericaceous peat-free compost. This is best option if you garden on an alkaline soil like chalk

Hi, thanks for the input, I don't know the exact pH but will be alkaline as the neighbours were unsuccessful with rhododendrons etc.
I already started a wee acid compost with coffee grounds and sorts, just really unsure whether acidifying 1 corner will work (would like to keep the rest of the garden as is).

What type of soil do you have, sandy, clay, or some thing inbetween?

https://www.thespruce.com/meth...

To separate that corner, i.e. keep the elements from beaching out, it would be best to put in a wood box, not bottom, of some sor that goes down at leas two feet.

I apply garden sulfur into my camellia sasanquas and japonicas to lower the pH from 7.6 to below 7. Then I re-apply at the frequency suggested by the product directions. I also purchased a soil pH kit with numeric results. These should be in stock in the spring but may be low/out of stock in stores that have not fully replenished their inventories. Use electronic reminders or a wall calendar to remember when to re-apply the amendment again. Camellia sasanquas can take more sun than camellia japonicas, which prefer morning sun in the summer months.

@luis_pr is giving you good advice here on sulfur and buying a pH kit. It's what I do.

I've found sulfur slow to act. You dig it into the soil but it takes a while to kick in. But it also persists, so that is good.

The other thing you need to consider is the pH of the water you use. It doesn't help to acidify the soil if the water is alkaline (like mine is). Test your water and if it is alkaline there are ways to acidify your water as well.

Good luck!

Thank you all for the answers, so helpful. With others here managing I have decided to give it a go, sulphur is ordered, got some wood to build a bit of a barrier to other plants, am still doing research regarding soil pH tests as that seems to be a tricky one but I feel I'm on the way. And then learning by doing.
Happy gardening, thank you all very much