17 Plants That Grow Well in Sand (Plus How They Do It!)

Is sand capable of supporting plant life? This was a question I curiously asked when I was a child. It kinda started my journey to gardening as I tried growing mungbean seeds in sand. Spoiler alert: they did not grow. But as I grew older, I discovered other plants that can!

Sand can support the growth of most trees and shrubs like:

1. Agave
2. Apache plume
3. Dwarf ash
4. Coffeetree
5. Corktree
6. Cypress
7. Fernbush
8. Fremont holly
9. Ginkgo
10. Goldenraintree
11. Hackberry
12. Hawthorn
13. Red mulberry
14. White mulberry
15. Big sage
16. Saltbush
17. Serviceberry

These plants can thrive in drought because they have low water requirements.

How about vegetables and herbs? Can they grow in sand? These questions will be answered at the end of this article. So read forward!

1. Agave (Agave utahensis)

Agave is considered a shrub and a succulent that bears yellow or green flowers during the spring. It is an evergreen that grows upright that can reach up to 1.5 feet tall even in sand.

As you might have already noticed from the picture above, this plant is planted in a sandy desert. This is proof that agave can survive dry and sunny conditions. To know more about this plant, here are the other growing requirements of agave:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Very low requirement
• Soil: Sandy or gravel
• Site: Can tolerate desert conditions
• Cold Tolerance: Down to -10°F

2. Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa)

Apache plume grows in the sand as a shrub that can grow up to 6.6 feet tall. It can have purple, lavender, pink, white, and green flowers that bloom during the spring.

Did you know that there are plants and trees where leaves fall? They are called deciduous. Apache plume is considered semi-deciduous, which means its leaves fall during the summer!

Apache plume needs the following to grow optimally:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Very low requirement
• Soil: Coarse sand or granite
• Site: Can tolerate desert conditions
• Cold Tolerance: Down to -5°F

3. Dwarf Ash (Fraxinus anomala)

Dwarf ash is a tree that can tolerate sandy soils. It can grow up to 20 feet tall and it loses its leaves during the winter. The flowers of dwarf ash can be yellow, brown, or green and they bloom during the spring.

Just for quick trivia, this tree is also known to give a home to caterpillars, birds, and butterflies, which is a good characteristic of a tree. It can promote biodiversity!

Dwarf ash requires the factors below for optimal plant growth:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Low requirement
• Soil: Sandy or loam soils
• Site: Can tolerate desert and rocky conditions
• Cold Tolerance: Not cold tolerant

4. Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus)

Coffeetree, also known as Kentucky mahogany, is a medium-to-large native deciduous tree with a round trunk that can grow 60–100 feet tall. It can grow in sandy soils and has yellow to green flowers that bloom during the summer.

Kentucky mahogany has a distinct leaf structure as seen in the picture below. It has an organized leaf form and can be also used as garden decoration!

Coffeetree requires the following factors for ideal plant growth:

• Light: Full sun
• Water: Very low requirement
• Soil: Sandy to humus-rich loam soils
• Site: Can tolerate drought and flooding conditions
• Cold Tolerance: Down to -40°F

5. Corktree (Phellodendron amurense)

Corktree is a perennial tree that can grow in sand. It has a short trunk and a rounded, spreading canopy that grows 30–40 feet tall, making it ideal as a shade tree. Yellow or green flowers appear in late May to early June.

After these flowers appear, small black drupes follow. These drupes may serve as food for birds. Thus, this tree does not only benefit humans but also animals around!

For corktree to grow at its best, the following conditions must be provided:

• Light: Full sun
• Water: Very low requirement
• Soil: Clay, loam, or sand
• Site: Best for urban areas
• Cold Tolerance: Down to -40°F

6. Cypress (Cupressus arizonica)

Cypress is a perennial tree that can tolerate sandy soil. It can grow as a dwarf tree standing 10 feet tall that can stand as high as 25 feet. It is an evergreen with no flowers but bears cones that serve as its seeds for reproduction.

Evergreen, this might be a new term for you! When we say evergreen, this refers to trees that retain their leaves all throughout the year.

The growing requirements of cypress are listed below:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Very low requirement
• Soil: Coarse, well-drained
• Site: Can tolerate hot and dry conditions
• Cold Tolerance: Not cold tolerant

7. Fernbush (Chamaebatiaria millefolium)

Fernbush is a shrub that has a round form and grows from 2–7 feet tall, even in sandy soils. It bears flowers during the summer that are white or cream in color. The flowers grow in clusters and are rose-like in shape.

This shrub is a good plant to surround your house with! It is known to be a good background plant for aesthetic purposes and a hedge plant.

Fernbush can be grown at its best with the following conditions:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Very low requirement
• Soil: Sandy or loam soil
• Site: Dry and rocky places
• Cold Tolerance: Not cold tolerant

8. Fremont Holly (Mahonia fremontii)

Fremont holly is an evergreen and upright shrub that grows from 9.8–16 feet tall. This shrub can grow in sand and bears flowers during the spring that are yellow, purple, and red in color. It can also produce fruits that are red-orange to yellow in color.

The following growing conditions are necessary for the optimal growth of fremont holly:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Very low requirement
• Soil: Sandy
• Site: Rocky slopes
• Cold Tolerance: Not cold tolerant

9. Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

Ginkgo is a tree that is commonly found alongside streets in urban areas and in sandy soils. It grows slowly and can reach heights of 50–75 feet. It blooms every spring and has a green flower with a distinct pleasant fragrance.

If it seems like you are familiar with this term, perhaps, you heard it in supplement commercials! Ginkgo leaves can be used as ingredients in health supplements. It is usually used for:

• Antioxidant source
• Inflammation
• Heart health
• Increasing brain function

The following growing conditions are necessary for the optimal growth of ginkgo:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Very low requirement
• Soil: Clay, loam, sand
• Site: Urban areas
• Cold Tolerance: Down to -40°F

10. Goldenraintree (Koelreuteria paniculata)

Goldenraintree is a perennial that grows 30–40 feet tall and spreads in a globe-shaped canopy. It tolerates dryness as in sandy soils and casts little shade since it has an open growth habit. The tree grows slowly and bears large panicles of bright yellow flowers from May to July.

It is commonly found in urban areas as a street or parking lot tree.

Goldenraintree must have the following growing environment for proper growth:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Very low requirement
• Soil: Clay, loam, sand
• Site: Urban areas
• Cold Tolerance: Down to -20°F

11. Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

Hackberry is a perennial tree that grows quickly and easily in sand. It forms a rounded vase canopy shape and reaches a height of 40–80 feet. It also produces small fruits which turn orange-red to purple which are usually eaten by birds.

Take note of these conditions if you are planning to grow hackberry:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Very low requirement
• Soil: Clay, loam, sand
• Site: Urban areas
• Cold Tolerance: Down to -40°F

An interesting fact about choosing a site is you need to provide at least two cubic feet of soil for every square foot of mature canopy that you are expecting to grow.

12. Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)

Hawthorn is a compact, upright shrub that can grow in sandy soils up to 15 feet tall. It can bear white and green flowers during the spring and produces red berries.

The following growing conditions are necessary for the optimal growth of hawthorns:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Moderate to high requirement
• Soil: Deep, moist, and fine-textured
• Site: Meadows, grassy lands, streamsides
• Cold Tolerance: Not cold tolerant

Some trivia about this plant! It is considered a magically enchanted tree that is highly linked with Beltane, the primitive spring festival. It is also considered one of the most consecrated trees in Celtic mythology, representing love and protection.

13. Red Mulberry (Morus rubra)

Red mulberry is a perennial tree that can grow to be 65 feet tall, even in sandy soils. It develops aggregate fruits of red mulberry that are 2–3 cm long. These fruits are juicy and are red to deep purple in color.

Red mulberry can be grown optimally with the following conditions:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Medium requirement
• Soil: Sandy, clay, or loam soil
• Site: Backyards, street sides, gardens, forests
• Cold Tolerance: Not cold tolerant

You may be wondering, what is the difference between this plant and the plant below? Hop on to the next section to find out!

14. White Mulberry (Morus alba)

White mulberry is a deciduous tree that may stand up to 50 feet, even in sandy soils. When ripe, the fruit ranges in color from white to nearly black, and pink to purple.

Almost the same as red mulberry, the white mulberry tree will grow optimally with the following conditions:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Medium requirement
• Soil: Sandy, clay, or loam soil
• Site: Backyards, street sides, gardens, forests
• Cold Tolerance: Not cold tolerant

The big difference between red mulberry and white mulberry lies within the leaves and buds. In terms of the leaves, red mulberries are dull to dark green in color with a distinct sandpaper-like texture. On the contrary, white mulberries have shiny and mid-green leaves with furrows.

In terms of the buds, the buds of red mulberry are shiny and point outwards; while the buds of white mulberry are orange in color and stay close to the twig.

15. Big Sage (Artemisia tridentata)

Big sage is a rounded, upright shrub that reaches 3–15 feet tall and can grow in sand. It has a distinctive fragrant aroma with yellow, white, cream, and green flowers blooming during the summer.

For its best growth, big sage needs the conditions listed below:

• Light: Full sun
• Water: Extremely low
• Soil: Coarse, well-drained soil
• Site: Canyons, slopes, and dry valleys
• Cold Tolerance: Down to -10°F

An interesting fun fact about big sage is that it can be used as tea, a treatment for diarrhea and colds, or even as an antiseptic agent for wounds!

16. Saltbush (Atriplex canescens)

Saltbush is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 10 feet tall. It blooms yellow or green flowers during the summer and spring. The leaves of saltbush are thin and range in length from 1–5 cm.

A distinct feature of saltbush is its fruits which are packed on long stems like a pile of cornflakes.

Saltbush requires the following conditions for optimal growth:

• Light: Full sun
• Water: Low
• Soil: Can tolerate all soil types (clay, silt, sand, loam)
• Site: Lands with salty, alkaline, or clay soils, slopes, sand dunes, gravel areas
• Cold Tolerance: Down to 0 to -10°F

17. Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.)

Serviceberry is a rounded, upright shrub that grows up to 35 feet tall even in sandy soils. The flowers of serviceberry are white and they bloom in the early summer. The leaves are medium green and fall off.

The fruit of the serviceberry tastes similar to blueberries.

For optimal growth of serviceberry, the following conditions must be met:

• Light: Full sun or partial shade
• Water: Low
• Soil: Sandy loam or loam soils
• Site: Dry open spaces, hillsides near streams
• Cold Tolerance: Down to -25–60°F

If you noticed in our list above, most plants enumerated there are trees and shrubs. This is because these plant types have lower water needs and they can even survive in drought conditions!

How Can Plants Grow in Sand?

Perennials like trees and shrubs thrive in sand. Annuals, on the other hand, such as vegetables and herbs, can only grow in sand during the germination period. Because sand lacks essential nutrients, annuals must be moved to humus-rich soils to support further development.

Most of us initially ask, is sand bad for plants? Well, to answer this elephant in the room—no.

Sand is not bad for plants, it must only be used accordingly, in the right amount and in the right instance. This will be discussed more later!

“But how about those plants growing on the beach? How about those in the aquariums?”

These are questions you might be asking at this instant.

Well, they are used to growing like that. They survive because growing in sand is their growth habit, they do not need enough nutrients, and all they need is something to anchor to—which is sand.

Now, you may wonder, how does sand affect plant growth? But the thing is, it does not. It only acts like a substrate for anchorage.

In terms of nutrient distribution, plants cannot get any nutrients from sand. This is the reason why sand is usually used for seed germination because at this stage, the seeds only need to use their stored sugars and water to grow.

Know more about this in our article on the steps to germinate seeds.

When is It Right to Add Sand in Your Pot? (2 Cases)

Adding sand is beneficial for herbs, vegetables, and leafy greens when 1) the plants prefer dry soil or 2) the garden soil is too compact.

Two factors are taken into consideration for the right usage of sand:

1. Plant characteristics; and
2. Soil structure

Plant characteristics here refer to the plant’s drought tolerance, plant’s preference for soil, and growing habit—if it needs a compact or non-compact anchorage based on its root structure.

On the other hand, the concern about soil structure is related to sand’s use as a soil amendment. We are adding sand in compact soil to increase the air and water space in its structure.

With an increase in soil air and water space, the roots can breathe through these spaces and acquire needed resources like water and nutrients from the soil.

Gardeners usually mix 1 part sand to 4 parts compact garden soil to promote aeration in their potting mix!

Discover more of this in our article about adding sand to potting mix.

FAQs

Summary of 17 Plants That Grow Well in Sand

Plants that grow well in sand include agave, apache plume, dwarf ash, coffeetree, corktree, cypress, fernbush, fremont holly, ginkgo, goldenraintree, hackberry, hawthorn, red mulberry, white mulberry, big sage, saltbush, and serviceberry.

Perennials like trees and shrubs develop well in sand. However, for annual plants like vegetables and herbs, sand can be used only for seed germination. This is because sand does not contain the necessary nutrients that these plants require for the later stages of development.

Sand is added to the soil if the cultivated plant is used to dry soil conditions and when the soil structure is too dense and needs aeration.

Sources

• “Gardening in Sandy Soils” by Wagner, K. et al. in Utah State University
• “Koelreuteria paniculata Goldenraintree” by Gilman, E.F. and Watson, D.G. in University of Florida
• “Kentucky Coffeetree” by Row, J.M. and Geyer, W. in United States Department of Agriculture
• “Phellodendron amurense Amur Corktree” by Gilman, E.F. and Watson, D.G. in University of Florida
• “Ginkgo biloba Maidenhair Tree” by Gilman, E.F. and Watson, D.G. in University of Florida
• “Celtis occidentalis Common Hackberry” by Gilman, E.F. and Watson, D.G. in University of Florida
• “Red Mulberry” by Hurteau, M.D. in United States Department of Agriculture
• “White Mulberry (Morus alba) Best Management Practices in Ontario” by Warne, A. in Ontario Invasive Plant Council