Drought Tolerant Trees for Zone 8
If you live in zone 8, you may have experienced hotter, drier weather in recent years. It’s best to deal with these drought conditions proactively, by filling your backyard with drought tolerant trees for zone 8. This is particularly important if you live in an area classified as arid because of its heat and sandy soil. If you are growing trees in arid zone 8, you’ll want to look into trees for dry soil.
Zone 8 Trees for Dry Soil
What zone 8 trees can stand drought? Here is a short list of zone 8 trees for dry soil to get you started. One tree to try is the Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus). It’s a shade tree that thrives in dry soil in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 8. If you have a large garden or backyard, another tree to consider is white oak (Quercus alba). These oaks are tall and majestic, yet also qualify as drought tolerant trees for zone 8. Note that white oaks can tolerate moderate but not severe drought. Other very large trees to try in dry regions of zone 8 include Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum). For those who are growing trees in arid zone 8, consider Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). It is hardy all the way down to zone 2, but tolerates both heat and drought. Weeping yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria ‘Pendula’) is a smaller evergreen that tolerates drought as well as heat, wet soil, and salt. Looking for ornamental zone 8 trees for dry soil? Chinese flame tree (Koelreuteria bipinnata) is small and grows in any sunny spot, even the driest areas. It develops showy pink seed pods. Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) is just as undemanding and drought tolerant. It will decorate your garden with blue flowers in summer.
