Trees provide shade for your garden and add natural beauty to the landscape. Some trees can also survive in harsh conditions, including areas with a low soil pH.
So, what are some trees for acidic soil? Trees for acidic soil include: Eastern Hemlock, Eastern White Pine, Franklin Tree, Quaking Aspen, Saltcedar, Silver Maple, Sitka Alder, Sourwood, White Fir, and White Spruce. Some of these trees 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 trees for acidic soil. We’ll also take a look at what they need for light, water, and other important growth factors.
Let’s get started.
10 Trees For Acidic Soil
There are plenty of trees for acidic soil, but here are 10 to start with:
- Eastern Hemlock
- Eastern White Pine
- Franklin Tree
- Quaking Aspen
- Saltcedar
- Silver Maple
- Sitka Alder
- Sourwood
- White Fir
- White Spruce
Let’s begin with Eastern Hemlock.
Eastern Hemlock
Eastern Hemlock or Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is an evergreen perennial tree with needles that produces yellow male flowers and green female cones in late spring or early summer.
Eastern Hemlock needs moderate to wet moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Eastern Hemlock prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial or full shade. It prefers strongly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 4.5 to 7.3).
Eastern Hemlock can tolerate severe 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 40 to 70 feet, with a width of 25 to 35 feet.
You can propagate Eastern Hemlock by seed.
You can learn more about Eastern Hemlock from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Eastern Hemlock from Forest Farm.
Eastern White Pine
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) is an evergreen perennial tree with needles.
Eastern White Pine needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Eastern White Pine prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers strongly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 4.5 to 7.3).
Eastern White Pine can tolerate severe 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 80 to 120 feet, with a width of 20 to 30 feet.
You can propagate Eastern White Pine by seed (it is self-fertile).
You can learn more about Eastern White Pine from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Eastern White Pine from Forest Farm.
Franklin Tree
Franklin Tree (Franklinia) is a deciduous tree that produces showy fragrant white flowers in summer, fall, or early winter.
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Franklin Tree needs moderate moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Franklin Tree prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers strongly acidic to slightly acidic soil (pH of 4.5 to 6.5).
Franklin Tree can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 5b (as cold as -15 degrees Fahrenheit or –26 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of up to 20 to 25 feet, with a width of 10 to 15 feet.
You can propagate Franklin Tree by stem cuttings or by seeds.
You can learn more about Franklin Tree from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Franklin Tree from Direct Gardening.
Quaking Aspen
Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) is a deciduous perennial tree that produces inconspicuous flowers.
Quaking Aspen needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Quaking Aspen needs full sun. It prefers strongly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 4.5 to 7.3).
Quaking Aspen can tolerate severe cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 2a (as cold as -50 degrees Fahrenheit or –46 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 40 to 50 feet, with a width of 20 to 35 feet.
You can propagate Quaking Aspen by seed (it is self-fertile).
You can learn more about Quaking Aspen from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Quaking Aspen from Cold Stream Farm.
Saltcedar
Saltcedar (Tamarix parviflora) is a deciduous perennial tree that produces showy tiny (less than 1 inch) pink flowers in spring.
Saltcedar needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Saltcedar needs full sun. It prefers strongly acidic soil (pH of 3.5 to 5.0).
Saltcedar can tolerate severe cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 2a (as cold as -50 degrees Fahrenheit or –46 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 13 feet, with a width of 6 to 10 feet.
You can propagate Saltcedar by seed or cuttings.
You can learn more about Saltcedar from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Saltcedar from Plant Delights Nursery.
Silver Maple
Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) is a deciduous perennial tree that produces showy tiny (less than 1 inch) greenish yellow or red flowers in late winter or early spring.
Silver Maple needs moderate to wet moisture levels.
Silver Maple prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers strongly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 5.5 to 7.3).
Silver Maple can tolerate severe 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 50 to 80 feet, with a width of 35 to 70 feet.
You can propagate Silver Maple by seed.
You can learn more about Silver Maple from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Silver Maple from Cold Stream Farm.
Sitka Alder
Sitka Alder (Alnus alnobetula) is a perennial tree that fixes nitrogen and helps with erosion control.
Sitka Alder needs moderate to dry moisture levels.
Sitka Alder prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers strongly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 3.5 to 7.8).
Sitka Alder can tolerate severe cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4 (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or –34 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 20 to 40 feet.
You can propagate Sitka Alder by seed or cuttings.
You can learn more about Sitka Alder from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Sitka Alder from Sheffield’s Seed Company.
Sourwood
Sourwood (Oxydendrum) is a deciduous perennial tree that produces showy fragrant white flowers in summer.
Sourwood needs moderate moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and harm the plant.
Sourwood prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers strongly acidic to slightly acidic soil (pH of 4.5 to 6.5).
Sourwood can tolerate severe cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 5a (as cold as -20 degrees Fahrenheit or –29 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 20 to 50 feet, with a width of 15 to 25 feet.
You can propagate Sourwood by seed.
You can learn more about Sourwood from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Sourwood from Wilson Bros Gardens.
White Fir
White Fir (Abies concolor) is a perennial evergreen tree with fragrant needles.
White Fir needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and harm the tree.
White Fir prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers strongly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 4.5 to 7.3).
White Fir can tolerate severe 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 40 to 70 feet, with a width of 20 to 30 feet.
You can propagate White Fir by seed (in the cones).
You can learn more about White Fir from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
White Spruce
White Spruce (Picea glauca) is a perennial tree with needles that produces cones in spring.
White Spruce can tolerate a range of wet to dry moisture levels.
White Spruce needs full sun. It prefers strongly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 4.5 to 7.8).
White Spruce can tolerate severe 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 feet, with a width of 15 feet.
You can propagate White Spruce by seed (in the cones).
You can learn more about White Spruce from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find White Spruce from Cold Stream Farm.
You can find White Fir from Forest Farm.
Conclusion
Now you know about 10 trees for acidic soil 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.
If you want to make your landscaping edible, check out my article on vegetables for acidic soil.
You can learn about shrubs, ornamentals, and trees that like acidic soil here.
You can learn more about which fertilizers are acidic in my article here.
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