Blog

Salt-Tolerant Plants for Driveways and Walkways

.
.

With the beauty of freshly fallen snow comes the reality of snowplows, icy roads, and road salt.

While salt helps keep walkways and driveways safe, it can be tough on surrounding plants. Salt in the soil interferes with a plant’s ability to absorb water and nutrients, while salt spray from passing vehicles can burn leaves, buds, and branches—often causing bud death and dieback.

Fortunately, some plants are naturally more tolerant of salt, making them excellent choices for plantings near driveways, walkways, and roadsides.

Here are just a few salt tolerant plant options to consider:

.

Perennials

  • Sedum

  • Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender) varieties

  • Rudbeckia herta

.

Grasses

  • Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster'

  • Miscanthus sinensis ‘Little Zebra’

  • Schizachyrium scoparium

.

Shrubs

  • Sorbaria

  • Viburnum dentatum (Arrowwood Viburnum) varieties

  • Arctostaphylos uva‑ursi

.

Trees

  • Ginkgo biloba varieties

  • Acer platanoides (Norway Maple) varieties

  • Juniperus communis

These aren’t the only salt-tolerant plants available, but they’re a great place to start if you want to maintain a healthy, attractive landscape despite the challenges of winter road maintenance.