When designing or selecting plant material for a City
Parkette or garden the information on plant material that will tolerate salt and
salt spray has been lacking. Landscape
Ontario Horticultural Trades Association has published a small Survival Guide
for the professional. It contains a
list of Trees and Shrubs that will tolerate salt and breaks them down into the
categories of High Salt Tolerance, Moderate Salt Tolerance and Low Salt
Tolerance. This has been very
helpful but the gap is now what perennials will tolerate salt.
After
five years of study Laura Deeter an Ohio State University Agricultural Technical
Institute researcher has released a short list of Perennials that are, salt
tolerant. The following perennials have proved to have a High Salt Tolerance.
These
Perennials will have a High Salt Tolerance
|
Sea
Thrift
|
Armeria
maritima
|
|
Karl
Foerster Reed Grass
|
Calmagrostis
acutifolia ‘Karl Foerster’
|
|
Helen
Allwood Pinks
|
Dianthus
pulminarius x allwoodii
|
|
Blue
Lyme Grass
|
Elymus
arenarius
|
|
Fountain
Grass
|
Pennisetum
alopecuroides
|
The
following Perennials were shown to be Moderately Salt Tolerant.
|
Powis
Castle Artemisia
|
Artemisia
absinthium x Powis Castle
|
|
Silver
Mound Artemisia
|
Artemisia
schmidtiana ‘Silver Mound’
|
|
Elijah
Blue Festuca Grass
|
Festuca
sp. ‘Elijah Blue’
|
|
Hosta
|
Hosta
plantaginea
|
|
Sea
Lavender
|
Limomium
latifolium
|
|
Stella
D’Oro Daylily
|
Hemerocallis
hybrida ‘Stella d’Oro
|
|
Sedum
Autumn Joy
|
Sedum
spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’
|
|
Lilyturf
|
Liriope
spicata
|
|
Palace
Purple Coral Bells
|
Heuchera
micrantha ‘Palace Purple’
|
The
following Trees and Shrubs are selected from Landscape Ontario’s Survival
Guide for Professionals.
Trees
and Shrubs with High Salt Tolerance
|
Green
Ash
|
Fraxinus
americana
|
|
Shademaster
Locust
|
Gelditsia
triacanthos
|
|
Larch
|
Larix
species
|
|
Colorado
Spruce
|
Picea
pungens
|
|
Austrian
Pine
|
Pinus
nigra
|
|
Ornamental
Pears
|
Pyrus
species
|
|
Large
Toothed Aspen
|
Populus
grandidentata
|
|
Red
Oak
|
Quercus
rubra
|
|
Siberian
Pea
|
Caragana
arborescens
|
|
Junipers
|
Juniperus
species
|
|
Honeysuckle
|
Lonicera
species
|
|
Bridlewreath
Spirea
|
Spiraea
x Vanhouttei
|
|
Snowberry
|
Symphoricarpus
species
|
|
Lilacs
|
Syringa
species
|
Trees
and Shrubs with Moderate Salt Tolerance
|
Silver
Maple
|
Acer
Saccharinum
|
|
Paper
Birch
|
Betula
papyrifera
|
|
Catalpa
|
Catalpa
species
|
|
Norway
Spruce
|
Picea
abies
|
|
Basswood
|
Tilia
americana
|
|
Shrub
Maple
|
Acer
ginnala
|
|
Boxwood
|
Buxus
microphylla
|
|
Forsythia
|
Forsythia
x intermedia
|
|
Mockorange
|
Philadelphus
species
|
|
Firethorn
|
Pyracantha
species
|
|
Cranberry
Viburnum
|
Viburnum
trilobum
|
Armed
with this information we should now be able to better design the gardens near
our driveways, streets and public areas where salting is necessary to enable
public access in our far to long winters.
Current Issue