Boulevard Plants That Survive Road Salt and Snow in Minnesota

The boulevard — that strip of ground between your sidewalk and the street — is the harshest planting site in any Minnesota yard. Salt spray off plowed streets, salt-saturated snow piled on top of plants all winter, summer heat reflecting off the asphalt, compacted soil from foot traffic, and a steady stream of pet visitors.

Most plants die there. These ten don’t.

What kills boulevard plants in Minnesota

Three things, mostly:

1. Road salt (sodium chloride). Sprayed onto plants from passing cars and snow plows, or absorbed through roots when salt-laden snowmelt soaks into the soil. Causes leaf browning, dieback, and root damage.
2. Snow pile compaction. A 6-foot mound of plowed snow sits on the boulevard from December through April, physically crushing anything beneath.
3. Heat and drought. Reflected heat off pavement, plus shallow soil and runoff, makes the boulevard 5–10°F hotter and 30% drier than the rest of the yard.

Salt-tolerant boulevard plants also tend to be drought-tolerant — both stresses select for the same kinds of plants.

10 boulevard plants that survive Minnesota streets

Trees (for larger boulevards with room for canopy)

1. Honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Skyline,’ ‘Shademaster’) — Salt-tolerant, fine-leafed, lets sunlight through to grass below. Common Minneapolis and St. Paul boulevard tree.

2. Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) — Native, extremely salt-tolerant once mature, lives 200+ years. Slow grower — choose for the long term.

3. Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) — Native, fast-growing, salt-tolerant, drought-tolerant. Underappreciated Minnesota tree.

Shrubs

4. Sumac — Fragrant or Staghorn (Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low,’ R. typhina) — Bulletproof. Native, salt-tolerant, drought-tolerant, deer-resistant. Gro-Low for groundcover (2 ft); staghorn for taller boulevards.

5. Juniper — Creeping or Tammy (Juniperus horizontalis, J. sabina ‘Tammy’) — Salt-tolerant evergreen groundcover. Hugs the ground, doesn’t catch the plow.

6. Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) — Salt-tolerant native shrub with waxy gray berries. Tolerates poor soil and harsh exposure.

Grasses

7. Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) — Native, salt-tolerant, drought-tolerant. Cut back hard each spring; plow-flat survival is high because the dormant crown is at ground level.

8. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) — Larger native grass, 4–6 ft tall in summer. Salt-tolerant, drought-tolerant. Cut to 6 inches each spring.

Perennials

9. Daylily (Hemerocallis) — Tough, salt-tolerant, indifferent to soil quality. Reliable boulevard color June–August.

10. Sedum (Hylotelephium — ‘Autumn Joy’ and others) — Drought-tolerant, salt-tolerant, dies back to ground each winter (no plow damage), comes back in spring.

What to avoid in the boulevard

• Arborvitae — gets burned by salt spray, gets crushed by snow piles
• Boxwood — salt-intolerant
• Hosta — wilts in heat, intolerant of salt
• Most flowering shrubs (hydrangea, weigela, lilac) — get scorched by salt spray
• Lawn grass — patchy on hot boulevards, killed in salt zones

How to plant a boulevard strip in Minnesota

1. Check city ordinances. Minneapolis, St. Paul, and most metro suburbs have boulevard planting rules (height limits, visibility triangles at intersections, no plantings within X feet of fire hydrants).
2. Replace the soil if you can. Existing boulevard soil is often compacted and salt-saturated. Excavating to 12–18 inches and backfilling with quality topsoil dramatically improves plant survival.
3. Plant lower than ground level. A slight depression catches rainwater and reduces runoff loss.
4. Mulch with shredded bark, not rock. Rock holds heat and reflects it onto plants. Bark insulates.
5. Don’t plant tall fragile plants near the curb. Snow plows will hit them. Keep 6+ inches of buffer at the curb edge.
6. Avoid permanent installations at corners. Sight-line rules.

When salt damage happens anyway

Even salt-tolerant plants can take hits in a heavy winter. Signs of salt damage: - Brown, scorched leaf edges - Branch tip dieback in spring - Stunted spring growth - Salt crusts visible on stems and soil

Fix: Heavy spring leaching. Run a sprinkler on the boulevard for 30 minutes 2–3 times in late April. Water dissolves and flushes accumulated salt past the root zone.

City boulevard tree programs

Minneapolis, St. Paul, and most suburbs maintain boulevard tree programs. Often the city plants and prunes boulevard trees; you maintain the grass and any added plantings underneath. Check with your city forestry department before planting a tree in the boulevard — many cities have approved-species lists and require permits.

FAQ

Will a snowblower destroy my boulevard plants? Plows are the bigger threat. A snowblower spreads snow more diffusely. The plants on this list either go dormant flat (grasses, perennials) or have low woody structure (creeping juniper, gro-low sumac) that survives plow snow piles.

Can I plant flowers in the boulevard? Yes — daylilies, sedum, coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and yarrow all handle it. Annuals struggle.

My boulevard is in shade — what works there? Snowberry, bush honeysuckle, hosta (in non-salt areas), and pachysandra. Shaded boulevards usually have less salt impact because there’s no direct plow throw.

What about pet damage? Pet urine concentrates nitrogen and burns plants. Tougher plants on this list (juniper, sumac, daylily, sedum) handle it. Hedge plants near the corner are favorite spots — accept some damage there.

Plant your boulevard

Browse our salt-tolerant plant collection, and check Drought-Tolerant Plants for Minnesota for plants that handle the related dry-and-hot challenge.