Salt Tolerant Plants
If you garden near the seacoast, your plants are probably exposed to salt spray in the air and salt accumulation in the soil. Most plants require only trace amounts of salt (sodium chloride, aka NaCl), and when concentrations are too high it can be toxic to them.
What Does Too Much Salt Do to Plants?
A salt test taken over 3 weeks by comparing a control plant to a plant that had 150 mM of salt added to it Too much sodium causes wilting, slower growth, smaller leaves, and eventual death. Coastal gardeners aren’t the only ones to be concerned. Runoff from roads or sidewalks that are de-iced with salt in the winter can cause salty soils that many plants cannot tolerate.
The good news is that salt leaches from soil very quickly and where rainfall is 20 inches or more a year, toxic levels of salt do not accumulate in the soil. Near the coast, however, salt can be constantly deposited by wind spray. This is especially common in most parts of Florida and other coastal states. And up North or out West, runoff from salted roads or sidewalks can create toxic conditions for a few weeks in spring before the salt is leached away – long enough to kill susceptible plants.
How to Fix Salty Soil
Muhly Grass is an excellent choice for salty soils. There are no amendments that can reduce salt levels in soil. You must grow plants in containers or select plants that are naturally tolerant of higher sodium levels. Plants that grow near coastal shorelines and beaches are naturally resistant to salty conditions. Such plants can be planted strategically so that they act as barriers to salt spray, thus protecting intolerant plants. Where de-icing salts are used in winter, protect susceptible plants with an row of salt tolerant plants adjacent to the road or sidewalk.
Here is a partial list of trees and shrubs that are naturally resistant to salty soils and coastal salt spray. Perfect Plants offers several on this list of salt tolerant plants.
Highly Salt Tolerant Shrubs & Perennials
Shop Now: Buy Salt Tolerant Shrubs Online
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
| Century plant | Agave americana |
| Silverthorn | Elaeagnus pungens |
| yaupon | Ilex vomitoria |
| wax myrtle | Myrica cerifera |
| Adagio miscanthus | Miscanthus sinensis ‘Adagio’ |
| Muhly grass | Muhlenbergia capillaris |
| oleander | Nerium oleander |
| wild olive | Osmanthus americanus |
| red bay | Persea borbonia |
| pittosporum | Pittosporum tobira |
| rosemary | Rosemary officinalis |
| yuccas | Yucca spp. |
Moderately Salt Tolerant Perennials & Shrubs
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
| saltbush | Baccharis halimifolia |
| littleleaf boxwood | Buxus microphylla |
| American beautyberry | Callicarpa americana |
| Sawara cypress | Chamaecyparis pisifera |
| sweet pepperbush | Clethra alnifolia |
| cotoneasters | Cotoneaster spp. |
| cypresses | Cupressus spp. |
| loquat | Eriobotrya japonica |
| eucalyptus | Eucalyptus cinerea |
| gardenia | Gardenia jasminoides |
| rose of Sharon | Hibiscus syriacus |
| hollies | Ilex spp. |
| Florida anise | Illicium floridanum |
| junipers | Juniperus spp. |
| crape myrtle | Lagerstroemia spp. |
| Little Gem magnolia | Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’ |
| sweet bay | Magnolia virginiana |
| mock orange | Philadelphus coronarius |
| mugo pine | Pinus mugo |
| podocarpus | Podocarpus macrophyllus |
| Carolina laurelcherry | Prunus caroliniana |
| beach plum | Prunus maritima |
| pyracantha | Pyracantha coccinea |
| sand live oak | Quercus geminata |
| Indian hawthorn | Rhapiolepis indica |
| staghorn sumac | Rhus typhina |
| Lady Banks rose | Rosa banksiae |
| beach rose | Rosa rugosa |
| American elder | Sambucus canadensis |
| Japanese spirea | Spiraea japonica |
| tamirisk | Tamarisk ramosissima |
| yews | Taxus spp. |
| windmill palm | Trachycarpus fortunei |
| arrowwood | Viburnum dentatum |
| bottlebrush | Callistemon |
Highly Salt Tolerant Trees
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
| honeylocust | Gleditsia triacanthos |
| eastern red cedar | Juniperus virginiana |
| southern magnolia | Magnolia grandiflora |
| live oak | Quercus virginiana |
Moderately Salt Tolerant Trees
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
| horsechestnut | Aesculus hippocastanum |
| red buckeye | Aesculus pavia |
| birches | Betula spp. |
| catalpa | Catalpa bignonioides |
| cedars | Cedrus spp. |
| hackberry | Celtis laevigata |
| fringe tree | Chionanthus virginicus |
| American persimmon | Diospyros virginiana |
| ashes | Fraxinus spp. |
| ginkgo | Ginkgo biloba |
| black walnut | Juglans nigra |
| sweetgum | Liquidambar styraciflua |
| black gum | Nyssa sylvatica |
| longleaf pine | Pinus palustris |
| Japanese pine | Pinus thunbergiana |
| oaks | Quercus spp. |
| black locust | Robinia pseudoacacia |
| bald cypress | Taxodium distichum |
Having these plants planted in your landscape will help if you live in an area with salty soil, salty wind, or salted roads. Salt can propose a problem to your plants and trees. With careful thought and preparation, gardening in salty areas has never been easier to master!
Happy planting!!