Trees provide shade for your garden and add natural beauty to the landscape. Some trees can also survive in harsh conditions, including areas with alkaline soil (high soil pH).
So, what are some trees for alkaline soil? Trees for alkaline soil include: Bay Laurel, California Fan Palm, Desert Olive, Drooping She-Oak, Evergreen Ash, Flat-Top Acacia, Iron Bark, Mimosa Tree, Murray Cypress, and Rocky Mountain Juniper. 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 alkaline soil. We’ll also take a look at what they need for light, water, and other important growth factors.
Let’s begin.
10 Trees For Alkaline Soil
There are plenty of trees for alkaline soil, but here are 10 to start with:
- Bay Laurel
- California Fan Palm
- Desert Olive
- Drooping She-Oak
- Evergreen Ash
- Flat-Top Acacia
- Iron Bark
- Mimosa Tree
- Murray Cypress
- Rocky Mountain Juniper
Let’s begin with Bay Laurel.
Bay Laurel
Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) is an evergreen tree that produces showy, tiny (less than 1 inch) green and yellow flowers in spring or early summer.
Bay Laurel needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Bay Laurel prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial or full shade. It prefers strongly acidic to strongly alkaline soil (pH of 5.1 to 9.0).
Bay Laurel can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 8a (as cold as 10 degrees Fahrenheit or –12 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 10 to 40 feet, with a width of 10 to 30 feet.
You can propagate Bay Laurel by offsets, root cuttings, tip cuttings, or seed.
You can learn more about Bay Laurel from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Bay Laurel from Forest Farm.
California Fan Palm
California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) is an evergreen tree with fronds that produces showy, tiny (less than 1 inch) white and yellow flowers in late winter, spring, or early summer.
California Fan Palm needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
California Fan Palm needs full sun. It prefers neutral to strongly alkaline soil (pH of 6.6 to 9.0).
California Fan Palm can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 8a (as cold as 10 degrees Fahrenheit or –12 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 60 feet, with a width of 15 feet.
You can propagate California Fan Palm by seed.
You can learn more about California Fan Palm from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find California Fan Palm from Real Palm Trees.
Desert Olive
Desert Olive (Forestiera pubescens) is a deciduous tree that produces showy, tiny (less than 1 inch) yellow flowers in spring.
Desert Olive needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Desert Olive prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers slightly to strongly alkaline soil (pH of 7.4 to 9.0).
Desert Olive can tolerate severe cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4b (as cold as -25 degrees Fahrenheit or –32 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 18 feet, with a width of 12 feet.
You can propagate Desert Olive by tip cuttings or seed.
You can learn more about Desert Olive from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Desert Olive from Watershed Nursery.
Drooping She-Oak
Drooping She-Oak (Allocasuarina verticillata) is an evergreen tree that produces inconspicuous, tiny (less than 1 inch) flowers in fall.
Image courtesy of user:
KENPEI via:
Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.
wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
Allocasuarina_verticillata2.jpg
Drooping She-Oak needs moderate moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Drooping She-Oak prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers strongly acidic to strongly alkaline soil (pH of 5.1 to 9.0).
Drooping She-Oak cannot tolerate much cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 9a (as cold as 20 degrees Fahrenheit or –6 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 20 to 35 feet, with a width of 20 to 35 feet.
You can propagate Drooping She-Oak by division or seed.
You can learn more about Drooping She-Oak from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Drooping She-Oak from ERA Nurseries (generally in Australia only).
Evergreen Ash
Evergreen Ash (Fraxinus uhdei) is an evergreen tree that produces inconspicuous, fragrant, tiny (less than 1 inch) green or greenish-white flowers in late winter or early spring.
Image courtesy of user:
David J. Stang via:
Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.
wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
Fraxinus_uhdei_8zz.jpg
Evergreen Ash needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Evergreen Ash prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers strongly acidic to strongly alkaline soil (pH of 5.1 to 9.0).
Evergreen Ash cannot tolerate much cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 9a (as cold as 20 degrees Fahrenheit or –6 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 70 to 80 feet, with a width of 25 to 50 feet.
You can propagate Evergreen Ash by stem cuttings.
You can learn more about Evergreen Ash from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Evergreen Ash from Moon Valley Nurseries.
Flat-Top Acacia
Flat-Top Acacia (Vachellia abyssinica) is a semi-evergreen tree that produces showy yellow flowers in spring.
Image courtesy of user:
Guenther Eichhorn via:
Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.
wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
Acacia_abyssinica.jpg
Flat-Top Acacia needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Flat-Top Acacia prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers neutral to strongly alkaline soil (pH of 6.6 to 9.0).
Flat-Top Acacia cannot tolerate much cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 11 (as cold as 40 degrees Fahrenheit or 4 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 25 feet, with a width of 30 feet.
You can propagate Flat-Top Acacia by cuttings or seed.
You can learn more about Flat-Top Acacia from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Flat-Top Acacia seeds from The Cactus Store.
Iron Bark
Iron Bark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon) is a tree that produces showy pink or red flowers.
Iron Bark needs moderately wet to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Iron Bark prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers neutral to strongly alkaline soil (pH of 6.6 to 9.0).
Iron Bark cannot tolerate much cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 8b (as cold as 15 degrees Fahrenheit or -9 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 80 to 115 feet in nature.
You can propagate Iron Bark by seed.
You can learn more about Iron Bark from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Iron Bark seeds from Aloha Tropicals.
Mimosa Tree
Mimosa Tree (Albizia julibrissin) is a nitrogen fixing deciduous tree that produces showy fragrant pink flowers in summer or early fall.
Mimosa Tree needs moderate to dry moisture levels, and it tolerates both drought and salt. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Mimosa Tree prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers slightly acidic to strongly 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 seeds.
You can learn more about Mimosa Tree from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Mimosa Tree from Nature Hills.
Murray Cypress
Murray Cypress (Cupressus x leylandii ‘Murray’) is an evergreen tree that produces inconspicuous flowers.
Murray Cypress needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Murray Cypress prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers strongly acidic to strongly alkaline soil (pH of 4.5 to 9.0).
Murray Cypress 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 35 to 50 feet, with a width of 15 to 25 feet.
You can propagate Murray Cypress by stem cuttings or tip cuttings.
You can learn more about Murray Cypress from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Murray Cypress seeds from Greenwood Nursery.
Rocky Mountain Juniper
Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) is an evergreen tree with needles that produces flowers in spring.
Rocky Mountain Juniper needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.
Rocky Mountain Juniper needs full sun. It prefers strongly acidic to strongly alkaline soil (pH of 5.1 to 9.0).
Rocky Mountain Juniper 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 20 to 50 feet.
You can propagate Rocky Mountain Juniper by tip cuttings or seed (the plant is self-fertile).
You can learn more about Rocky Mountain Juniper from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
Conclusion
Now you know about 10 trees for alkaline 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.
You can learn more about other plants for alkaline soil 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