Salt Tolerant Trees
Trees for roadside plantings

Q. Do you have any suggestions for salt-tolerant trees to screen my view of a road? I recently moved into this house, and it appears the previous homeowner planted a variety of trees and shrubs along the road, but many of those ornamental plants have died in the meantime. Do you think it could be due to salt mist from cars passing, or salt runoff in wintertime?

A. Road salt is extremely tough on plants, both from its build-up in the soil near treated surfaces and its physical contact with foliage and branches as salt-laden spray is splashed or aerosolized by fast-moving traffic. You can see the effect of road salt on trees when you travel the Pennsylvania Turnpike, particularly between New Stanton and Donegal in our part of the state.
  
Fortunately, there are a number of plants that tolerate road salt that would make an attractive screen for your yard. I will include a short list of books and websites at the end of this article so you can learn more about these plants (size, cultural requirements) and find pictures of them to make sure you like their appearance. You may find other lists of salt-tolerant plants that include plants not listed here. I have omitted those known to have severe insect and disease problems such as Austrian pine (Pinus nigra) or those non-native plants known to be invasive such as Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia).