Salt Cedar Tamarix ramosissima

Tamarix ramosissima, or Salt Cedar, is a deciduous, thicket forming, flowering shrub or small tree, growing to 14 feet by 9 feet, and often found in coastal area. The showy flowers last through spring and summer.  It has scaly gray-green juniper like foliage but is neither a conifer nor an evergreen.  It produces true flowers which are pink and appear from June to August. Its branches are long, slender and arching and have an attractive reddish color.  Used in rain and naturalized garden areas, the shrub is valued along the sea shore because of its moderately salt tolerance.  The common name salt cedar comes from not only the plants ability to withstand saline conditions but to actually produce salt. 

The Salt Cedar grows well in full sun in most dry to medium well-drained soils, including heavy clay and alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. Prune as needed in late winter to early spring. It can be pruned hard, as far as several inches about the ground as you would a Buddleja spp. to manage growth and keep the form compact.  Avoid excess fertilizer, this tree has a sparse root system.  It can be used as a windbreak or erosion control on the outer edges of the landscape where its unattractive winter appearance will not distract (the plant is considered a noxious weed in some parts of the mid-west).

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: 

No known diseases or insect pests. Use caution when planting as it can be quite invasive in warm coastal and riparian areas in zones 8-10.