Landscaping

Trees For Dry Soil: Landscaping Lessons

December 19, 2022

There’s no joke that thirsty soil is a nightmare for anyone with a green thumb. Seeing dehydrated, brittle soil surrounding your wilted plants isn’t a sight that anyone wants to wake up to.

But, once you know what the best trees for dry soil are, your dream of a beautiful landscape can come to life. So, let’s talk about dry soil and the trees that are perfectly suited to thrive in it. 

Why your soil might be dry

There are a few reasons why you might consider using plants for dry soil around your home. If your soil seems to be trapped in a cycle of perpetual dryness, it could be because your gardens have light, sandy soil.

Sandy soil dries out much more easily than other types since it drains rapidly. Thus, even after a week of constant rain, your soil can turn into brittle crumbs pretty quickly.

Likewise, if you live in a parched climate such as Arizona, California, or New Mexico, your thirsty soil could be due to the weather– regardless of the type of soil you have. You may find that despite your tireless attempts at providing sufficient hydration, you’re still left with dry, crispy soil. So, what can you do?

Is there any hope for dry soil?

If you live in the middle of the desert in Arizona, you don’t have to freak out and move to Massachusetts to have a beautiful, moist foundation for your gardens. But it’s important to know that no matter what you do, your soil will still likely shrivel up from time to time because of the natural climate it lives in. So, your best bet is to find trees for dry soil and plants for dry areas to add to your yard.

If you don’t live in a climate that runs very dry all year round, your garden might still suffer from dry soil if you have poor irrigation techniques or have sandy soils. Nonetheless, whatever the cause of your dehydrated soil, below are a few helpful landscaping lessons that can moisten it up.

Try breaking the soil up 

Breaking up compacted soils encourages root penetration. This is because it reduces your soil’s density and strength. As a result, your soil will have much better moisture infiltration and retention abilities to combat quick drainage.

So, if you don’t want to only plant trees for dry soil, make sure to regularly break up compacted soils to enable water retention so you can have healthy, damp soil all year long.

Mulch, mulch, mulch!

Anyone who’s been hit with the gardening bug knows that mulch is your best friend. Mulching is a tried and true strategy to maintain a healthy landscape– especially if you’re planting in dry soil. 

When you’re ready to get your hands dirty and mulch away, add 2 to 3 inches of mulch, bark chippings, or aged compost to your planting areas. This will help your soil preserve moisture by reducing the amount of water that leaks from your garden.

Add some organic matter

Adding organic matter is great for plants that tolerate wet and dry conditions. But trees for dry soil in particular benefit from organic matter since it encourages the surrounding soil to retain water more effectively. Well-rotted organic matter like leaf mold and manure also provide valuable nutrients and improve a soil’s structure, which both aid in keeping the soil moist.

What makes trees drought-tolerant?

To not only survive but thrive in sun-baked, brittle soils, plants have to be as tough as nails. So, what is it that makes some plants so well-suited for a dry home? Well, there are flowers for dry soil, plants, and trees that possess specific traits that enable them to withstand dry, hot climates. Thus, just like how humans are born with particular genes that may help them tolerate certain diseases, there are trees that have qualities to help them resist certain environments. 

These qualities typically deal with the leaves and the roots of trees. For example, most trees that are drought-tolerant have leaves that use water efficiently because of their natural, protective wax coating. Likewise, these trees have extensive root systems that quickly extract moisture from the soil; and in turn, they can easily hydrate the tree when there’s no water in the air.

plants that tolerate wet and dry conditions

The best trees for dry soil

When thinking about what to grow in dry soil, you might feel like you have to settle for solely desert plants that aren’t super green and luscious. But that’s not the case at all. It turns out, there are tons of plants that thrive in dry conditions and are just as eye-catching as plants that drink lots of water.

It’s important to note that drought-tolerant trees still need supplemental irrigation for the first few growing seasons of their youth. But, once they’re established, they hold up tremendously well under dry conditions.

So, let’s go over a few beautiful trees that are perfect for your thirsty soil.

Marvelous Maple trees

Paperbark Maple, Vine Maple, and Amur Maple make great trees for dry soil because of their amazing drought-tolerant properties. They’ve all adapted to dry climates and have gorgeous hand-shaped leaves that come in a variety of bold colors. 

While Paperbark and Vine Maples can grow to be pretty large, the Amur Maple tree is a smaller species that’s just as aesthetically pleasing. Thus, if you have a smaller landscape to work with, you won’t have to worry about your Amur tree growing into your neighbor’s yard.

Pretty Pine trees

Most Pine trees are drought-tolerant and make some of the best plants for poor soil conditions. This is because they originated from upland locations where water trickles away from their roots– forcing their leaves to adapt to use water efficiently. Their needles have a natural waxy coating that allows them to avoid rapid moisture loss and boosts their water retention abilities.

Scots pine

Scots pine is an eye-popping shrub for dry soil because it’s adaptable to practically every climate. These beautiful evergreens are native to Asia and Europe and grow from 30 to 70 feet tall.

Whether you know it or not, you’ve probably seen a Scots Pine before. If you’ve ever had a fresh Christmas tree in your home during the holidays, it was likely a Scots Pine. These trees for dry soil are the most popular choice for the mistletoe season because of their shape and ability to hold onto their needles for an extended period.

Knockout Kentucky Coffee trees

If you want a small tree for dry soil, steer clear of the gorgeous Kentucky Coffee tree, which can grow to be 100 feet tall! This tree is adaptable to a wide range of soils, can withstand pollution, and is drought-tolerant.

Fun Fact! The Kentucky Coffee tree functioned as a substitute for coffee during financially tough times for the American colonists. But, if you plant this tree in your yard, you probably should still get your coffee from your local barista or your coffee maker at home. This is because ingesting large amounts of coffee from a Kentucky Coffee tree can be poisonous. 

Handsome Honey Locust trees

The sunny, yellow-leaved Honey Locust is a perfect tree for dry soil. These trees are fast-growing, drought-resistant, and produce bright and cheerful autumn-colored leaves. But they’re not only called Honeylocust for their golden-orange tones. Their name is derived from the sweet honey taste of the pod’s pulp. 

Create a beautiful landscape with trees for dry soil

Dry soil doesn’t have to be a dead end for your gardening goals. Now that you know a few awesome trees that will thrive in your dry soil, what’s stopping you from creating your perfect landscape? Start mulching today and soon you’ll have awesome Maples and Pines sprouting from your yard!