Best Plants for Saline Soils and Coastal Landscapes

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- TN Nursery knows living on the coast makes landscaping challenging. Saline soils and salt spray from the ocean make it difficult to grow much. However, some plants adapted to these conditions can be used for landscaping around your home. At TN Nursery, they have the perfect plants for a coastal landscape.

Salt Damage
Water flows from the soil into the roots because the roots have more dissolved molecules than the soil.  When salt is in the soil, the soil has more dissolved molecules in it than in the roots, so water flows out.  The plant dehydrates even if fresh water is available in the soil.  In addition, salt landing on the foliage of a plant will draw water out of it that way, burning leaves and stems.  Plants near the ocean have evolved ways to remain hydrated even when there is a lot of salt in the soil.

Salt damage also occurs near roadways in places with much ice and snow.  Roadways and sidewalks are treated with de-icing products that contain a high salt concentration.  As the ice and snow melt, the melt water may flow over soil, saturated with salt.  In addition, as cars drive over salted roads, they may splash the salt onto the foliage of plants near the roadway.

Symptoms of Salt Damage
Salt damage can be acute or chronic. Acute damage occurs suddenly and may go away just as fast.  Burned edges of leaves from de-icing salt may go away when it rains, and the salt is diluted and washed away.  Chronic damage takes longer to appear but tends to make plants gradually decline and then die.  Here are the typical symptoms.

• White salt residue on plants
• Reduced or stunted growth
• Malformed leaves, stems, flowers
• Reduced leaves, flowers, and fruit
• Buds don't open or drop off plant
• Early fall color or leaf drop
• Death

Treating Salt Damage
Treating salt damage may or may not be successful.  First, flush the salt off the plant with good water.  To flush the soil, irrigate with two inches of water, stopping when it starts to run.  Repeat two days later.  Adding organic matter can help restore the spaces between soil molecules so water and air can infiltrate the soil.  Finally, dead plants should be replaced with salt-tolerant varieties.

Preventing Salt Damage
Prevention is more straightforward than treating salt damage.  Here are some tips to help you reduce the salt reaching your plants.

• Use de-icing products that contain less salt calcium, magnesium, or potassium instead of sodium.
• Reduce the use of de-icing products.
• Place a burlap or plastic screen between the road and your plants.
• Plant salt-tolerant plants.
• Plant sensitive plants 50-60 feet from roadways.
• Use raised beds and berms to channel meltwater containing salt away from sensitive plants.
• Irrigate deeply once a week so plants develop strong, deep roots and can resist salt damage.

Salt Resistant Plants
Here is a list of some of our salt-resistant plants. 

Red Maple
Red maples are native to the eastern half of North America.  The leaves of the red maple turn scarlet in the fall, giving it its name. The smooth and silver bark provides some winter interest even after losing their foliage.  Red maples usually grow 40-60 feet tall but occasionally hit 100 feet in the wild.  The male trees have showy pink flowers.  The females produce red samaras, or fruit, after being fertilized.  Birds and small mammals eat the samaras.  Red maples are the host plant for several varieties of butterflies and moths. Both honeybees and native bees use the flowers.

Elderberry
Elderberry is native to North America and grows in moist woodlands, streams, and marshlands.  The white flower clusters are showy, but the black fruit is even better.  The fruit is used in jams, jellies, and pies.  The flowers and fruits are used to make wine. Elderberry grows 5-12 feet tall and 6-10 feet wide.  It will form dense thickets if allowed to, but is often used in erosion control because of this tendency.  The blooms attract pollinators. The fruit attracts birds and mammals.  Birds and small mammals use plants to nest in.

This is just a sample of the native plants that are salt tolerant. TN Nursery has many more for you to choose from.

ABOUT: Tammy Sons
Tammy, Founder of TN Nursery, is a Horticulture expert and creative thinker who enjoys sharing gardening tips, exploring native landscaping trends, and helping customers create beautiful, eco-friendly spaces. Tammy finds joy in writing about her experiences and fostering a deep connection with native plants and nature.

Contact:
Tammy Sons
931.304.6844
[email protected]

SOURCE TN Nursery