Native Plants

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Thursday - June 27, 2013

From: Griffin, GA
Region: Southeast
Topic: Cacti and Succulents, Herbs/Forbs, Shrubs, Trees
Title: Plants for area around salt water pool
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

What are some plants that will grow around my salt water pool where there is some salt water runoff occasionally.

ANSWER:

The University of Georgia Marine Extension Service has a list, Salt-Tolerant Ocean Beach Native Plants for Coastal Georgia, and the Pender County Office of North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service has a publication, Salt Tolerant Plants Recommended for Pender County Landscaping, that lists salt-tolerant plants and designates which plants are native plants. Even though North Carolina is not too far from you the native plants listed are not necessarily native to your part of Georgia and even those from the Georgia list are not necessarily native to Spalding County since the list features coastal plants. I have listed a few of those that are native to Spalding County or an adjacent county in Georgia:

Morella cerifera (Wax myrtle) (synonym=Myrica cerifera) is an evergreen shrub or small tree. It is highly salt tolerant.

Persea borbonia (Redbay) is an evergreen shrub or small tree and is highly salt tolerant.

Prunus angustifolia (Chickasaw plum) is a deciduous small tree and is highly salt tolerant.

Ilex glabra (Inkberry) is an evergreen shrub that is moderately salt tolerant.

Yucca filamentosa (Adam's needle) is evergreen and moderately salt tolerant.

Gaillardia pulchella (Firewheel) is a perennial and highly salt tolerant.

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterflyweed) is a perennial and moderately salt tolerant.

Opuntia humifusa (Devil's-tongue) (synonym=Opuntia compressa) is evergreen and highly salt tolerant.

Heterotheca subaxillaris (Camphorweed) is a perennial and moderately salt tolerant.

Monarda punctata (Spotted beebalm) is a perennial and moderately salt tolerant.

Salvia lyrata (Lyreleaf sage) is a perennial and moderately salt tolerant.

Salvia urticifolia (Nettleleaf sage) is a perennial and moderately salt tolerant.

There are some other choices on these two lists that might interest you. To check to see if they are native to Spalding County or nearby locations, search in our Native Plant Database (use the scientific name). When you reach the species page, scroll to the bottom of the page to the ADDITIONAL RESOURCES area and click on the USDA link. On the USDA Plants Database page for the species, click on Georgia on the Distribution Map and it will display a map showing the county distribution of the plant in Georgia. You can also search directly in the USDA Plants Database (again, use the scientific name) to reach the distribution map for the plant.