Trees can add both style and shade to your yard. Some trees tolerate salty air or water and are perfect if you live on the coast.
So, what are some salt tolerant trees? Salt tolerant trees include: Bald Cypress, Eastern Red Cedar, Fiddle Leaf Fig, Lemon, Live Oak, Maidenhair Tree, Mimosa Tree, Norfolk Island Pine, River Birch, and Southern Magnolia. Some of these plants have attractive foliage and can grow quite tall!
Of course, some of these trees prefer full sun, while others tolerate partial or full shade.
In this article, we’ll talk about 10 salt tolerant trees. We’ll also take a look at what they need for light, water, and other important growth factors.
Let’s get started.
10 Salt Tolerant Trees
There are plenty of salt tolerant trees, but here are 10 to start with:
- Bald Cypress
- Eastern Red Cedar
- Fiddle Leaf Fig
- Lemon
- Live Oak
- Maidenhair Tree
- Mimosa Tree
- Norfolk Island Pine
- River Birch
- Southern Magnolia
Let’s begin with Bald Cypress.
Bald Cypress
Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) is a deciduous salt tolerant tree that produces tiny (less than 1 inch) green flowers.
Bald Cypress needs high moisture levels and can survive in water, tolerating both humidity and flooding.
Bald Cypress needs full sun. It prefers acidic soil (pH of 5.6 to 6.5).
Bald Cypress can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4a (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or –34 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 100 feet, with a width of 35 feet (it grows like a pyramid: wide at the bottom and pointed at the top).
You can propagate Bald Cypress by branch cuttings or seeds.
You can learn more about Bald Cypress from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Bald Cypress from Wilson Bros Gardens.
Eastern Red Cedar
Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is an evergreen salt tolerant tree with fragrant needles and tiny (less than 1 inch) yellow or green flowers.
Eastern Red Cedar needs moderate to dry moisture levels and tolerates drought. Too much water will cause root rot and damage the tree.
Eastern Red Cedar can tolerate full sun, partial shade, or full shade. It prefers neutral soil (pH of 6.6 to 7.3).
Eastern Red Cedar can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 3a (as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit or –40 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 30 to 60 feet, with a width of 10 to 20 feet.
You can propagate Eastern Red Cedar by root cuttings, tip cuttings, or seeds.
You can learn more about Eastern Red Cedar from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Eastern Red Cedar from Nature Hills Nursery.
Fiddle Leaf Fig
Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata) is an evergreen salt tolerant tree with large green leaves and inconspicuous flowers and fruit.
Fiddle Leaf Fig needs moderate to dry moisture levels and tolerates humidity. Too much water will cause root rot and damage the tree.
Fiddle Leaf Fig prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 6.0 to 7.0).
Fiddle Leaf Fig cannot tolerate cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 10a (as cold as 30 degrees Fahrenheit or –1 degree Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 5 to 40 feet, with a width of 5 to 35 feet.
You can propagate Fiddle Leaf Fig by layering or stem cuttings.
You can learn more about Fiddle Leaf Fig from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Fiddle Leaf Fig from Plantvine.
Lemon
Lemon (Citrus limon) is an evergreen salt tolerant tree that has green leaves and produces tiny (less than 1 inch) white flowers (late winter or spring).
Lemon trees needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and damage the tree.
Lemon trees need full sun. It prefers slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 6.1 to 7.8).
Lemon trees cannot tolerate cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 9a (as cold as 20 degrees Fahrenheit or -7 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 10 to 20 feet, with a width of 15 feet.
You can propagate Lemon trees by stem cuttings.
You can learn more about lemon tree care here.
You can learn about when lemon trees bear fruit in my article here.
You can learn more about Lemon trees from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Lemon trees from Spring Hill Nursery.
Live Oak
Live Oak (Quercus virginiana), also known as Southern Live Oak, is an evergreen salt tolerant tree with green leaves and tiny (less than 1 inch) yellow flowers.
Live Oak needs moderate to dry moisture levels and tolerates humidity. Too much water will cause root rot and damage the tree.
Live Oak prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers acidic soil (pH of 5.6 to 6.5).
Live Oak can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 7b (as cold as 5 degrees Fahrenheit or –15 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 60 to 80 feet, with a width of 60 to 120 feet.
You can propagate Live Oak by seeds.
You can learn more about Live Oak from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Live Oak from Nature Hills.
Maidenhair Tree
Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba) is a deciduous salt tolerant tree with yellow leaves.
Maidenhair Tree needs moderate to dry moisture levels and tolerates drought. Too much water will cause root rot and damage the tree.
Maidenhair Tree prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers strongly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 5.1 to 7.3).
Maidenhair Tree can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 3a (as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit or –40 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 60 to 100 feet, with a width of 30 to 40 feet.
You can propagate Maidenhair Tree by seeds or nuts.
You can learn more about Maidenhair Tree from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Maidenhair Tree from Wilson Bros Gardens.
Mimosa Tree
Mimosa Tree (Albizia julibrissin) is a deciduous salt tolerant tree with green leaves and showy, fragrant pink flowers that appear in summer.
Mimosa Tree needs moderate to dry moisture levels and tolerates drought. Too much water will cause root rot and damage the tree.
Mimosa Tree prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers slightly acidic to moderately alkaline soil (pH of 6.1 to 8.4).
Mimosa Tree can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 6a (as cold as -10 degrees Fahrenheit or –23 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 15 to 40 feet, with a width of 20 to 40 feet.
You can propagate Mimosa Tree by stem cuttings or from seed.
You can learn more about Mimosa Tree from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Mimosa Tree from Willis Orchards.
Norfolk Island Pine
Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla) is an evergreen salt tolerant tree with green needles.
Norfolk Island Pine needs moderate moisture levels and tolerates drought. Too much water will cause root rot and damage the tree.
Norfolk Island Pine prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 6.1 to 7.3).
Norfolk Island Pine can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 9a (as cold as 20 degrees Fahrenheit or –7 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 4 to 8 feet in a pot (200 feet in nature), with a width of 20 to 25 feet in nature.
You can propagate Norfolk Island Pine by stem cuttings.
You can learn more about Norfolk Island Pine from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Norfolk Island Pine from Garden Goods Direct.
River Birch
River Birch (Betula nigra) is a deciduous salt tolerant tree with green leaves with white on the back. It produces tiny (less than 1 inch) yellow flowers in spring.
River Birch needs moderate to wet moisture levels and tolerates flooding.
River Birch needs full sun. It prefers acidic soil (pH of 5.1 to 6.5).
River Birch can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4a (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or –34 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 40 to 70 feet, with a width of 30 to 60 feet.
You can propagate River Birch by seeds.
You can learn more about River Birch from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find River Birch from Nature Hills.
Southern Magnolia
Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is an evergreen salt tolerant tree with broad green leaves. It produces huge (6 to 12 inches!) fragrant white flowers in spring, summer, or early fall.
Southern Magnolia needs moderate moisture levels and tolerates humidity. Too much water will cause root rot and damage the plant.
Southern Magnolia prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers acidic soil (pH of 5.1 to 6.5).
Southern Magnolia can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 7a (as cold as 0 degrees Fahrenheit or –18 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 60 to 80 feet, with a width of 30 to 50 feet.
You can propagate Southern Magnolia by layering, stem cuttings, or seeds.
You can learn more about Southern Magnolia from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Southern Magnolia from Wilson Bros Gardens.
Conclusion
Now you know about 10 salt tolerant trees and how to take care of them. They might provide inspiration to help you to improve your landscape and provide more shade in your yard.
You might also want to check out my article on salt tolerant shrubs.
I hope you found this article helpful. If so, please share it with someone who can use the information.
If you want to read some of my most popular posts, check out the “Best of GreenUpSide” page here. Enjoy!
~Jonathon