Abstract

Chapman, Juliann and D.F. Hamilton. 1981. Plants that tolerate water stress. Am. Nurseryman 153(12): 11-13.

Urban environments impose severe stresses upon landscape vegetation, making simple solutions quite difficult. When selecting plants for a specific site, a landscaper must consider the site’s problems, such as poor soil conditions and temperature stresses. Proper plant selection increases the effectiveness of any design by ensuring that the plant adapts to its proposed habitat. The roots of trees and shrubs are aerobic. There must be an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air and the soil for them to survive. In saturated or poorly drained soils, roots suffocate; the plant declines and dies. The best way to avoid problems with excess moisture is to determine the soil moisture and drainage patterns of an area. Avoid planting in areas that retain water after rains or that are flooded in spring, unless water-loving trees are used in the design. Excessively wet soil also favors root disease fungus attacks and thus affects roots indirectly. Poor aeration also prevents roots from absorbing minerals from the soil solution. Root development near the soil surface is also a result of poor aeration. We have provided lists of plants that perform well under varying soil conditions.

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