What Grows in Loamy Sand?

Containing a mixture of sand, clay and silt, sandy loam provides good drainage, are easier to till and provide more nutrients than sandy soils, silty soils and clay soils. However, not all vegetation grows well in sandy loam and planting the wrong species in the incorrect soil can spell disaster for the plant. Knowing what grows in sandy loam is your first step in deciding what to plant in that area.

Various pine species, soft maple, honey locust, cottonwood, willow and Douglas firs will grow in a wide array of soils including sandy loam. In addition to trees, several shrubs will thrive the sandy loam. Rose, sumac, honeysuckle, hazel and juniper are a few of the shrubs you can successfully grow in sandy loam.

Most gardeners do not think of sandy loam as a good soil type for planting flowers. That is just not the case for many species of plants. Cacti are one of the most common plants that prefer the well-drained sandy loam to other types of soil. However, cacti are hardly the only plants that enjoy sandy loam. Gladiolus, various lilies, amaryllis, hostas and irises are just a few species of plants that will live long and happy lives in sandy loam.

Aesthetic vegetation is not the only type of plants that you can grow in sandy loam locations. Several crops both fruit and vegetables will grow just fine in sandy loam if they get the right amount of sunlight and water. A few of fruits and vegetables that you can plant in sandy loam are blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers.

A good mixture of sandy loam grows a wide array of herbs that you can use for cooking, alternative medicine and natural pest control. Good drainage is a major aspect of successfully herb growing which gives sandy loam an advantage over other types of soil. Lemon balm, sage, basil, horehound, lavender and thyme are only a few of the herbs and spices that grow in sandy loam.