Growing a wildlife garden on sunny dry sand.

You might be forgiven for thinking that sandy soil is a terrible medium in which to grow plants in. It is true that if you want to grow vegetables, you are going to need to build a raised bed, but there is a surprisingly diverse range of beautiful plants that are well adapted to growing in sandy soil without the need for irrigation.

	Here, Liatris aspera and Solidago speciosa are growing together on a dry sandy prairie.

 

Sand is a relatively large particle that will have large spaces. Sandy soils therefore have a high proportion of macropores that promote drainage, but not enough micropores to promote water retention. The lack of water retention is a limiting factor that prevents most plants from growing in this medium. The lack of clay particles in a sandy soil results in a low ability to bind to essential mineral ions so plants also have to be able to tolerate a lack of nutrients as well. Sand has a lower heat capacity than other soils so it heats up and cools down more quickly. The plants have to be able to handle the daily temperature changes as well as the seasonal changes that come with cold winters and hot dry summers. In their natural habitat these plants would also need adaptations to survive fire and grazing.

Over long periods of time (let's say thousands of years), a dark rich topsoil can develop over a layer of sand leading to a climax community called mesophytic forest. These forests may contain basswood but the trees that complete the process of succession are American beech and Sugar maple. These forests are not subject to the same ecological factors that allow sandy prairies to form and the plants that live there cannot survive drought. Therefore, they are not included in the list of plants on this page. Since developers often remove the topsoil in such forests when building houses, you may have to use this list to plant in the sandy soil that remains.

If you do not intend to water, then choose plants that survive well in sand dunes, dry sandy prairies and open sandy savanna.

 

	A dry sandy prairie with some savanna in the background.

 

All of the following plants do well in relatively undeveloped sandy soils. However, you should be prepared to water in times of drought for the first couple of years to ensure success. During this time, many of these plants are growing roots deep into the ground, which allows them to survive the dry periods. When it does rain these plants often have root systems that enable them to quickly absorb water before it drains away. Other strategies to survive include leaves that are: narrow or indented; hairy; thick and waxy; and being succulent. Most temperate plants use a photosynthesis mechanism called C3 which is an efficient process at low temperatures with adequate moisture. In sandy prairies and other similar habitats, there is a much higher proportion of plants that use a more complicated photosynthetic pathway known as C4 because it is more energy efficient at high temperatures and reduces the loss of water. Warm season grasses such as Indian Grass and Big Blue Stem use the C4 mechanism for photosynthesis.

It is important not to dig around too much in a sandy soil because this will disturb the fungal hyphae that forms an intricate part of the soil. These hyphae interact with plants and bacteria. They obtain carbon from the plants but they also help many plants to obtain vital nutrients and water. They help plants to protect themselves against the effects of drought. They also help soils retain water for longer when it rains and they help to aggregate the soils.

 

I was asked to design a garden on a strip of land between two houses which would require no watering and minimal weeding. The soil was undeveloped and almost pure sand. To reduce weeding the vegetative cover had to be 100 %. Some watering had to be done in the first year as roots need time to grow, but in its third year all the plants can survive on their own two feet. I chose only plants that would grow in a dry sandy prairie and 50 % of the cover is grass.

	A dry sandy garden in its third year. The main flowers are butterfly weed, but Gaillardia is used to fill in the spaces. Grasses include Bouteloua curtipendula and Sporobolus heterolepis. The garden is now a magnet for monarch butterflies and many other pollinators.

 

Grasses and sedges

Name	Notes
Agrostis hyemalis	A shorter grass that is host to several skippers.
Andropogon gerardii	The dominant tall grass in dry sandy prairies
Andropogon virginicus	A tough grass that is notable for keeping the colour in its foliage during the winter. It grows about 3 feet high.
Carex bicknellii	A large sedge that grows up to 4 feet tall in sandy prairies.
Carex pensylvanica	An adaptable shorter sedge that tolerates dryness well. These plants grow well in mesic sands but they are an important component of the plant community on dry sandy prairies as well. This plant might work as a lawn substitute.
Eragrostis spectabilis	It forms an incredible purple haze when grown en masse.
Koeleria macrantha	A spring season grass.
Sporobolus cryptandrus	Highly drought tolerant
Sporobolus heterolepis	Not as drought tolerant as S. cryptandrus, but it will grow perfectly well in sandy soil without watering.
Schizachyrium scoparium	One of the main 4 grasses of the prairies. Grows about four feet high.
Big Blue Stem is the easiest tall grass to grow in sandy areas around the Great Lakes.
Sorghastrum nutans	In southern Ontario, there is enough rain to support this grass. For drier areas in the Midwest, consider Big Bluestem.

Forbs for the front of the border

Name	Notes
Amorpha canescens	A small leguminous plant that attracts pollinators.
Anemone cylindrica	A short anemone for the front of the border.
Antennaria neglecta	A groundcover that is a host of painted ladies.
Asclepias sp.	A. ovalifolia and A. verticillata are the shortest of the milkweeds.
Corydalis aurea	Of low use to wildlife, but it is a small ornamental plant.
Dalea sp.	D. candida and D. purpurea are good for sandy soil. D. purpurea with its electric purple flowers is more popular.
Geum triflorum	Forms a low living mulch and has purple flowers.
Liatris cylindracea	If a monarch butterfly finds this plant, it will dwell for a while.
Lithospermum sp.	L. canescens and L. carolinese. These plants have beautiful flowers but they are almost impossible to cultivate from seed and therefore hard to obtain. However, if plugs and not seeds were to become available, you should consider planting them.
Oligoneuron album	This is another name for Solidago ptarmicoides.
Opuntia humifusa	This is a very specialised plant that needs careful consideration before planting in a garden. The flowers are stunning.
Penstemon sp.	P. hirsutus and P. pallidus are shorter Penstemons that handle dry soil very well.
Phlox pilosa	Extirpated from Ontario, this early flowering phlox attracts butterflies and maybe hummingbirds.
Physalis heterophyla	Spreads easily. Give it plenty of room.
Pulsatilla patens	The prairie crocus is a superior garden plant to the store-bought Crocus.
Ranunculus fascicularis	An early flowering buttercup.
Ruellia humilis	This low growing plant is native to the mid-west and E. America.
Solidago sp.	S. ptarmicoides and S. nemoralis are short goldenrods in the drylands. S. ptarmicoides looks more like an aster with large blooms of white flowers.
Tephrosia virginica	A shorter leguminous perennial with bicoloured flower that does well in acidic sandy soil.

 

Forbs for the middle of the border

Name	Notes
Asclepias sp.	A. ovalifolia, A. tuberosa, A. verticillata and A. viridiflora
In a dryland garden, butterfly weed puts on a fantastic show. This is a single specimen.
Baptisia leucantha (B. alba)	A near native for Ontario and host to the Indigo duskywing.
Brickellia eupatorioides	Not native to Canada, but widespread in the U.S.
Castilleja coccinea	Annual with red flowers that attract hummingbirds. It is hemiparasitic on grasses and a few other species.
Cirsium sp.	C. discolor is not the only thistle to grow well in sand, but the other thistles require a lot of waiting for flowers to appear. C. discolor only needs two years to mature.
Coreopsis lanceolata	An easy to grow plant that is popular with gardeners.
Brickellia eupatorioides grows in most states that are East of the Rockies. It is not native to Canada
Drymocallis arguta	Has sulphur yellow flowers.
Echinacea pallida	Not the typical purple coneflower found in gardens, but this species is very drought and sand tolerant.
Euphorbia corollata	This plant has a heavy bloom and is good for filling in spaces.
Gaillardia pulchella	Beautiful annual plant.
Helianthus sp.	H. divaricatus, H. occidentalis and H. petiolaris grow well in sand.
Liatris sp.	L. aspera and L. scariosa are typical plants in the drylands. These plants produce stunning flowerheads.
Lupinus perennis	This plant will not grow in clay, so if you have sand then take the opportunity to plant native lupines. They have stunning blooms.
Monarda punctata - Dotted beebalm.
Monarda sp.	M. fistulosa and M. punctata are the best species. Monarda in bloom always looks spectacular when growing en masse.
Oenothera rhombipetala	Not native to Canada, but you might consider this if you live in the mid-west.
Penstemon grandiflorus	P. grandiflorus is from the mid-west. It flowers at the same time as other native Penstemons.
Rudbeckia hirta	In sandy soil, it is biennial. It spreads by reseeding.
Solidago sp.	S. speciosa and S. juncea.
Symphyotrichum sp.	S. laeve, S. oolengtangiense, S. ericoides and S. sericeum
Tradescantia ohiensis	It spreads by rhizomes so it is well suited for naturalised areas on sandy soil.
Verbena stricta	This is most drought tolerant of the species featured.

 

 

Forbs for the back of the border (more than 4 feet high)

Name	Notes
Cirsium pitcheri is rare because it grows on relatively unstable dunes. Like other thistles, it is monocarpic. It grows for 5 - 8 years, produces a flower, and then dies. On foredunes, shifting sands would prevent the seeds of many other plants from germinating. Unfortunately, monocarpic flowers are not popular when you have to wait so long for the bloom.
Cirsium sp.	C. discolor is not the only thistle to grow well in sand, but the other thistles require a lot of waiting for flowers to appear. C. discolor only needs two years to mature.
Helianthus sp.	Helianthus mollis grows up to six feet tall in dry sand.
Lespedeza sp.	L. capitata and L. hirta have flowers that are rather inconspicuous, but they do have foliage that remains green throughout the summer. They grow up to 5 feet.
Silphium integrifolium
Oligoneuron sp.	O. rigidum is a good choice for a back of the border plant. It grows about 5 feet high.
Silphium integrifolium	A reasonably drought tolerant Rosinweed that is often found on sandy soil. Silphium laciniatum also grows in dry soils. Both S. laciniatum and S. terebinthinaceum are drought resistant but may need a little bit of help to get to maturity.
Solidago speciosa	Solidago speciosa is typically shorter on dunes and in dry prairies, but in a garden they can reach 5 feet high. In my garden, they are back of the border plants. It is considered by many to the be the most beautiful goldenrod so it is a must have in a dry, sunny and sandy garden.

Shrubs and vines

Name	Notes
Bearberry -Arctostaphylos uva-ursi grows on sand dunes.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi	A plant of the boreal forest that came further south during a glacial period. The glaciers disappeared but this low growing shrub remained. These plants are well adapted to sand with or without the glacier.
Aronia melanocarpa	A highly adaptable shrub that grows equally well in dry and wet areas. It provides beautiful flowers, fruit and red leaves in the fall. It flowers will go red earlier in the season under dry conditions.
Ceanothus americanus	A shrub on the shorter side that tolerates drought well. Also consider C. ovatus which is slightly smaller and flowers earlier.
Celastrus scandens	This is a common vine in dry prairies. To get fruit you will need to plant several specimens as they are dioecious. Snags would be a good location for these vines. Do not plant them around live trees.
American Bittersweet - Celastrus scandens
Comptonia peregrina	The leaves make it look like a fern. This a shrub about 5 feet high that forms colonies under stands of Pine.
Corylus americana	A deciduous spreading shrub with distinctive flowers.
Sand Cherry - Prunus pumila
Prunus pumila	Sand cherry is a successional shrub on a sand dune and it grows in undeveloped soils. It is hard to kill and easy to grow. It grows up to 5 feet high.
Rhus copallina	Shiny Sumac is common on dry prairies. The stems are distinctively winged.
Winged Sumac - Rhus copallina
Rosa arkansana	Avoid using this for small gardens due to the rhizomes that can turn one of these plants into a colony. This is a small rose.
Rubus flagellaris	Avoid using this in small gardens. It spreads easily so it would be a good choice to stabilise sandy slopes.
Salix humilis	Most willows are for wetlands. This species is an exception. It grows up to 10 feet tall. There are other Willow shrubs that grow on sand dunes, but this species is the most drought tolerant.
Vaccinium angustifolium	Grows well in slightly acidic sandy soil.
Prairie rose - Rosa arkansana