Oh great! Here comes the rain again! Sound familiar? Having wet, poorly draining soils or standing water in your yard and landscapes can test your patience! Many times, this creates a situation where plants don’t survive, the soil gives off bad odors, and nobody wants to use the space! Fortunately, if you plan appropriately, there are solutions available! Professional landscape architects and contractors can handle most drainage problems with drainage systems and different planting techniques. However, selecting trees and plants that are suited for wet soils is still necessary. To help you avoid wasting money buying random trees and plants hoping they work, we’ve listed our top native trees for poorly drained soils in Jacksonville and North Florida.
As you read more about the trees in this article, send us a message if you have any questions.
And when you are ready to plant your trees, we will design and install the right tree in the right place for you!
Our Top 3 Native Trees
The Top 3 trees on our list are Red Maple, Bald Cypress, and Sweet Gum. These trees are easy to grow, attractive to wildlife and birds, adapt to various conditions, tolerate poorly drained soils, and are readily available at local nurseries. However, all trees have unique characteristics that must be considered when deciding which tree to select.
Ensuring the right plant, right place rule is followed will lead to a healthy, happy tree.
1. Red Maple, Acer rubrum
Pros
- Great fall color with yellow, red, or purple leaves.
- The attractive red seeds attract wildlife, including squirrels, local birds, as well as migratory bird species in Florida, such as American goldfinches.
- Fast growing with strong wood.
- Can tolerate a wide variety of soil types.
- Prefers moist or wet soils.
Cons
- Can form large surface roots.
- Low salt tolerance so it should not be planted near saltwater.
- Performs poorly on alkaline, high-pH soils.
- Branches may be susceptible to breakage and may require selective branch pruning when young to ensure all branches have strong connections to the trunk.
Red maple is a popular native tree in landscapes around Jacksonville and North Florida. The tree forms a rounded, oval canopy and is a fast-growing tree, making it a popular choice for those wanting some quick shade and varying colors and interest throughout the year. These trees have a mature height of 40-60 feet tall and a mature canopy spread of 25-35 feet wide.
Red maples are deciduous, losing their leaves in the winter. Before falling, the leaf color may change from green to yellow, red, and purple creating a great fall show. Since they drop their leaves, they make great trees for areas that need shade in the summer, but warm filtered sun in the winter. Oftentimes, red maples signal spring has arrived when they push out new leaves, red flowers, and fruits. Overall, they are a great all-around tree for wet soils in full sun or part sun.
Naturally occurring in bottomlands and forests, these trees may be flooded or underwater during the wet seasons. As a result, red maples are tolerant of wet or poorly draining soils when planted in the landscape. However, planted red maples do not tolerate flooding like their naturally occurring cousins growing in the forest bottomlands. If you have a site that floods regularly, there are better-suited trees.
If you would like to learn more details about Red Maple trees, The University of Florida has more information about Red Maple trees on the IFAS website.
2. Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum
Pros
- Red and copper fall color
- Interesting bark and branches provide winter interest when leaves have dropped.
- Fast growing
- Can tolerate a wide variety of soil types.
- Prefers moist or wet soils, but can grow on a wide range of soils
- Low Maintenance
- Readily available at local nurseries
Cons
- Forms ‘cypress knees’ on the surface in extremely wet sites.
- Performs poorly on alkaline, high-pH soils.
- Fall leaf drop from mature trees requires clean-up.
An all-around solid tree choice, the bald cypress grows in a wide range of conditions, is fast-growing, low maintenance, disease, and pest-resistant, and has interesting foliage and bark. With very few negative traits, this is a wonderful tree for poorly drained soils in Jacksonville.
Bald Cypress is the iconic tree of swamplands and ponds. When young, they have a narrow, pyramid or cone-shaped canopy. When mature, the canopy expands to a broad, spreading, open tree. These trees have a mature height of 100 feet tall, but rarely reach that in the landscape. Typically, the mature height is 60 feet with a mature canopy spread of 25-35 feet wide.
The Bald Cypress is fast growing tree that reaches 40-50 feet tall in 15-25 years. The fastest growth occurs when soils are moist but well-drained.
If you would like to learn more details about Bald Cypress trees, The University of Florida has more information about Bald Cypress trees on the IFAS website.
3. Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua
Pros
- One of the best Jacksonville trees for fall color with bright red, yellow, orange, or burgundy leaves.
- The seeds attract wildlife, including squirrels, and local birds, as well as migratory bird species in Florida, including various warbler species.
- Resistant to most pests and diseases.
- Do not require frequent pruning
- Strong branches are resistant to breakage.
- Can tolerate a wide variety of soil types.
- Prefers moist or wet soils.
Cons
- Hard, spiny fruits drop off the tree and can be a nuisance on hard surfaces like driveways and sidewalks where they can be a hazard for slip and fall accidents, so carefully place these trees.
- May have large, aggressive surface roots that can lift sidewalks and pavements, so plant at least 10 feet from pavements and buildings.
- Medium salt tolerance so it should not be planted near saltwater.
- Performs poorly on alkaline, high pH soils and should only be planted in soil with a pH of 7 or less.
- Seeds readily germinate below the tree in gardens and planter beds leading to maintenance. Extreme sensitivity to construction damage to roots.
Sweetgum trees make great trees for parks, campuses, and residential sites, offering shade and great fall color with a medium growth rate. They have a narrow, pyramid or cone-shaped canopy for most of their life with one strong main trunk. As they age, some branches become dominant and round out the canopy to a more oval shape. These trees have a mature height of 60-75 feet tall and a mature canopy spread of 35-50 feet wide.
Similar to red maples, they are deciduous and lose their leaves in winter. In Jacksonville and North Florida, sweetgum leaf color changes begin in early winter. The star-shaped leaves go from green to bright red, yellow, orange, and burgundy making for a beautiful display before dropping off the tree.
Sweetgum grows naturally in river bottoms and moist soils, so these trees are tolerant of wet soils, and poorly drained soils, and do not like dry conditions.
If you would like to learn more details about Sweetgum trees, The University of Florida has more information about Sweetgum trees on the IFAS website.
Next 5 Best Native Trees
The remaining five trees in our Top 8 list are River Birch, Sweetbay Magnolia, Sycamore, Winged Elm, and Sugarberry. These five native trees are excellent trees for poorly drained soils.
4. River Birch, Betula nigra
Found in bottomlands and stream banks, River Birch is suited for wet soils. Usually found in nurseries as a multi-trunk tree, it grows to a mature height of 40-50 feet with a mature spread of 25-35 feet.
River birch is deciduous, has a medium-fast growth rate, and features attractive peeling bark.
River Birch must be planted in areas with adequate water and acidic soils, otherwise, it will not thrive.
If you would like to learn more details, the University of Florida has more information about River Birch trees on the IFAS website.
5. Sweetbay Magnolia, Magnolia virginiana
A smaller semi-evergreen tree, Sweetbay Magnolia grows to a mature height of 40-50 feet with a spread of 15-25 feet. It tolerates wet soils, as its natural environment is swamplands and water-logged woods.
Attractive features include white lemon-scented flowers and red seeds that are favored by wildlife and birds.
If you would like to learn more details, the University of Florida has more information about Sweetbay Magnolia trees on the IFAS website.
6. Sycamore, Platanus occidentalis
Growing to heights over 100 feet tall in favorable growing conditions, Sycamore is the largest tree on our list. It tolerates wet and compacted soils and has a fast growth rate. Sycamore has attractive peeling bark that provides year-round interest.
However, the large deciduous leaves can make for extensive fall cleanups. With a large canopy and aggressive roots, this tree is best suited for areas with large open areas and wet soils.
If you would like to learn more details, the University of Florida has more information about Sycamore trees on the IFAS website.
7. Winged Elm, Ulmus alata
A very adaptable native tree, the deciduous Winged Elm tree is a great tree for landscape planting. Fast-growing, tolerant of flooding or drought, and sturdy, the Winged Elm is a wonderful all-around tree.
Winged Elm reaches a mature height of 45-60 feet and a spread of 30-40 feet.
If you would like to learn more details, the University of Florida has more information about Winged Elm trees on the IFAS website.
8. Sugarberry, Celtis spp.
Fast-growing Sugarberry trees have a large, broad canopy with a mature height of 50-60 feet and a spread of 50-60 feet. While sometimes hard to find at nurseries, these trees are tolerant of urban conditions and can withstand poorly drained soils.
Sugarberry grows best where soils are moist and there is a low risk of injuries from people, equipment, and utilities. They don’t heal well from injury, so they need natural or protected spaces.
If you are a bird lover, their small, berry-like, sweet fruits are highly attractive to birds.
If you would like to learn more details, the University of Florida has more information about Sugarberry trees on the IFAS website.
Closing Thoughts
When you have wet soils, an important task is selecting trees for poorly draining soils. Every project site is unique, with different sun exposure, drainage, soils, growing space, buildings, pavements, etc. While this list provides a great starting point, seeking professional help to match your unique site with the proper tree species provides you peace of mind knowing your investment will pay off in the future.
If you want more information about one of the trees listed in the article, send us a message or give us a call.