15 of the Best Salt Tolerant Plants for Your Sarasota Landscape
It’s easy to have a love-hate relationship with salt — great for the rim of your margarita glass, bad for your blood pressure.
But most plants just straight-up hate salt. And that can be a problem if you’re a Florida coastal plant that lives near salt water. Salt spray — which lingers in the air on the Gulf side — can make plants cringe like the water-drenched wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz.
And storm surge that follows the high winds of hurricanes pushes salty sea water over gardens and landscaping, depositing sodium and other minerals, especially if you have older, lower sea walls.
Plants installed within about one-eighth of a mile of saltwater coasts should be at least somewhat salt tolerant.
What are the best salt-tolerant plants for South Florida? You have lots of choices, from majestic native palms to stunning hibiscus and bougainvillea to glossy Green Island ficus.
Keep reading to learn more about the best plants for coastal Florida, including:
Why Don’t Plants Like Saltwater?
Screw Pine
Green Buttonwood
Hibiscus
Bougainvillea
Railroad Vine
Native Palms
Pygmy Date Palm
Shady Lady Black Olive
Green Island Ficus
Why Don’t Plants Like Saltwater?
Time for a quick science lesson:
Plants typically absorb water through osmosis, where water moves from the soil
to the plant's root cells. When the soil becomes salty, the salt concentration outside the root cells becomes higher than inside, causing water to move out of the plant cells rather than into them. So the plant's roots struggle to pull water from the salty environment. Salts in the soil can also interfere with the plant's ability to absorb essential nutrients.
While most plants hate this salty situation, others have adapted to tolerate salt. Native Florida plants are especially likely to survive some salt. They’ve lived here all along, so they’re used to it.
Other plants are considered “Florida friendly,” which means they thrive in our climate, and need minimal water, fertilizer and pesticides. These plants are typically selected through the Florida Friendly Landscaping Program at the University of Florida, which promotes sustainable landscaping practices.
Who are these sturdy salt survivors? Take a look:
1. Screw Pine
In nature, the screw pine grows on the seashore and around tidal lagoons, so it’s very salt tolerant.
This dramatic accent tree grows in a giant swirly pattern, with old leaf scars encircling the stems, which is why “screw" is in its name. It’s a pretty cool native Florida plant.
2. Green Buttonwood
There’s a green buttonwood and silver buttonwood, both coastal evergreens with small brown berries that look like wood buttons. They tolerate salt water, salty soil and wind — a sturdy triple threat in your native Florida landscaping.
3. Hibiscus
Could a plant this pretty be tough enough to withstand salt? Lucky for us, yes.
The ultimate tropical flower, hibiscus is a flowering shrub that makes your yard feel like a vacation paradise. It can also tolerate salt spray, salt air, and even some salt-affected soil.
Hibiscus flowers can be up to nearly 10 inches in diameter at maturity and come in a wide range of colors, from white to red, pink, yellow, and orange.
4. Bougainvillea
This pretty plant will bloom all year if it’s in full sun, offering you an explosion of stunning colors — pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, yellow.
Good news — it’s not just a stunning salt-tolerant plant for south Florida. It stands up well to drought and wind, too.
5. Railroad Vine
A fast-growing evergreen perennial commonly found on beach dunes, railroad vine is often used in beach restoration and stabilization.
Its flowers are large, funnel-shaped and purple to purplish-pink in color. The showy flowers attract bees and butterflies. It’s among the best plants for coastal Florida.
6. Native Palms
All Florida palms are at least moderately salt tolerant. The highest tolerance is found in native palms like Sabal palm, which is actually Florida’s state tree.
7. Pygmy Date Palm
This dwarf palm tree is perfect for tight spots where you still want a tropical punch, with its dense, full crown of arching glossy, green leaves.
While they can tolerate some salt, they’re not as salt-tolerant as some other native palm species.
8. Shady Lady Black Olive
This pretty tree’s salt tolerance makes it an ideal shade tree for coastal properties, but you don’t have to be salty to love it.
With its lush layers of tiny leaves on zigzagged stems, it’s one of the most beautiful South Florida trees.
It grows in layered tiers with a distinct space between each set of horizontal branches.
While the Shady Lady lives up to its name and offers welcome cooling shade, it doesn’t get huge, so it’s great for a medium-size yard. It definitely makes the list of the best plants for coastal Florida.
9. Green Island Ficus
This award-winning shrub is prized for its low-maintenance qualities, including salt tolerance. Its deep green glossy leaves contrast well with other foliage types and colors.
These coastal Florida plants are slow growers, spreading out as they mature, and can easily be kept at 3 feet tall. They'll handle full sun to partial shade.
Other Salt-tolerant Plants for South Florida
Our list doesn’t stop there. Add these sturdy beauties we’ve talked about here before to your list of the best plants for coastal Florida:
- Beach Sunflowers
- Pink Muhly Grass
- Live Oak
- Saw Palmetto
- Sea Grape
- Fakahatchee Grass
Need Salt-tolerant Plants for Florida? Talk To Us
Salt makes potato chips irresistible, melts ice and does wonders for a blah batch of soup. But not all plants can handle it.
If you live where salt lingers in the coastal air, or where storm surge can slosh over your precious landscaping, you need plants that can stand up to salt.
We can’t wait to help you get started.
Give us a call or fill out our form today! Our team of Sarasota landscape experts can’t wait to help you add these smart, sturdy native plants to your Sarasota landscape. Salty air? Salty soil? No sweat.
Image Source: Shady Lady Black Olive, Railroad Vine
