Flourish soil reader

Find your soil type in five minutes, and the plants that will love it

Pick your road and see its flood risk, nearby streams and what the land was before the houses. Then three quick garden tests give you a soil reading and plants that will thrive. About 5 minutes, works on your phone, no sign-up.

How the soil reader works

Every road from Kew to Esher has been checked against Environment Agency flood zones and mapped streams, including the ones that now run underground in culverts. We have added what is known about each area's past: farms, orchards, market gardens, brickfields and gravel pits all leave their mark on the soil you dig today.

  • Your roadFlood risk, streams within 10 or 50 metres, slope and the history of the land.
  • Your gardenA squeeze test, a drainage test and a pH check, with tips for after a dry summer.
  • Your readingYour soil type, plants that suit it and what to do before you plant.

Also useful

Improving clay soilHow to work with the London Clay under most local gardens. Garden sun plannerSee where sun and shade fall in your garden through the year. Palette plannerTurn the colours you love into plants that suit your light.

Want us to look at your soil?

A reading is a guide, not a survey. On a free visit we dig, test and tell you what your garden can grow. Kingston, Surbiton, Richmond and Surrey.

Book a free visit

This tool was created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy by Craig Davis, BSc (Hons) Horticulture. Area geology is a general guide only.