Trees can be picky about their preferred soils. We’ve put together a list of tolerable soil conditions for deciduous trees. Learn which ones will grow great on your property. Note: Some species are tolerant of more than one type of soil condition. There are also various cultivars of some of these trees, growing at different heights or with differing shapes.
Tolerates Compacted Soil/Drought/Heat:
- Hornbeam aka Ironwood and Blue Beech
- Catalpa
- Hackberry
- Hawthorne
- Ginkgo
- Honeylocust
- Amur Maple
- Mulberry
- Pin Oak
- English Oak
- Greenspire Linden
Tolerates Moist to Wet Soils:
- Red Maple
- Sugar Maple
- Alder
- River Birch
- Beech
- Hackberry
- Honeylocust
- Eastern Larch or Tamarack
- Pin Oak
- Weeping Willow
- Elm
Good Salt Tolerance:
- Norway Maple
- Common Horse Chestnut
- Honeylocust
- Mulberry
- Red Oak
Aside from soil quality, you might also be interested in finding a deciduous tree that has beautiful fall colors.
Fall Color
- Amur Maple – Yellow, orange or red
- Norway Maple – Yellow
- Red Maple – Yellow, orange or red
- Sugar Maple – Yellow, orange or red
- Serviceberry – Yellow, orange or red
- Birch – Yellow
- Pagoda Dogwood – Red or purple
- Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn – Red
- Ginkgo – Yellow
- Red Oak – Red
- Mountain Ash – Yellow or orange
- Linden – Yellow
- Elm – Yellow
The experts at Gertens are always available to answer your questions!