i have very defined areas ... for shoveled and snowblower snow ... but the very little salt use ...

that are planted ONLY with annuals ...

perhaps your failure.. is on insisting on perennials ...

one of the areas is all free seeding annauls .. so i dont even have to plant seed ... though it looks more like a wildflower bed.. as compared to a neat little bed of marching soldiers ...

if your plan fails.. find a new plan ... dont repeat history ...

have you ever considered sand.. to reduce salt use .... thing is.. you have to buy the sandbox sand in summer.... and have it ready .... it might be hard to find in winter ...

ken

We don't use ice melt at all. We use sand if anything gets slippery. We keep a container of it in our front entryway. And we have a bed that is along the street edge and I added stones to keep the salt away from the plants and in the spring, I water that strip really well to dilute it.

You could try salt tolerant plants in areas that will get hit in winter, often there is no control over what they do on the streets if that applies. I love Four Wing Saltbush, Artemisias and Sacaton grasses, but then I'm weird like that. There are several salt tolerant plants to choose from that might be considered more decorative.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/salt-resistant-perennials.html#

Here is another list showing choices A-Z.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.plantdelights.com/Salt-Tolerant-Seaside-Plants-for-sale/

No salt or ice melt products on my driveways or walks. My snow blower crew throws down something like "Cherry Stone Traction Grit". Think it might be a poultry product - digestion aid for chickens etc. It's quartzite and as hard as granite.

Probably readily available at feed & grain stores.

Thanks everyone. I will never use it again I know that for sure. We had record amounts of snow this past winter (106 inches) The snow blower didn't get all the way down to the concrete so when the concrete warmed up the ice just became a problem.

Thanks TexasRanger for the links to salt tolerant plants. . . I didn't even know there was such a thing. . . will they do OK planting them in the already *salty* soil?

Ken. . . self-seeding annuals is a dream of mine, however. . . my neighbors have a very dirty seed dropping tree. I have to work over the beds come spring or I will have a yard full of trees. I think I disturb the would be seedlings, they never return.

Thanks again all. . .

babera-- You live in one of those states that I think of as Native Plant Heaven and am envious. There are so many "to die for" natives indigenous there. Many areas of the country deal with salt issues in the soil and many native plants have adapted.

Curly Leaf Mountain Mahogany comes to mind. I'd have that over Boxwood any day, any time. It has medium salt tolerance.

Ericameria nauseosa (Rubber Rabbitbush) is a wonderful silver shrub native to Montana, salt tolerant. I have one & planted 4 more. I love this all silver shrub, when its kept trimmed as a landscape plant it just shines!

CURLY LEAF MAHOGANY showing seed heads that catch the sunlight in late afternoon.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://search.aol.com/aol/imageDetails?s_it=imageDetails&q=montana+native+plants&img=http%3A%2F%2Fblackfootnativeplants.files.wordpress.com%2F2012%2F02%2F08-seed-beds-pics-168.jpg&v_t=nscpsearch&host=http%3A%2F%2Fblackfootnativeplants.wordpress.com%2Fpage%2F2%2F&width=181&height=121&thumbUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ft3.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcR6AHdC3jV5BBym6731JbmEMTVu5kowcoCLYhI5BKUUk_J2r6N9QSzLC3Me%3Ablackfootnativeplants.files.wordpress.com%2F2012%2F02%2F08-seed-beds-pics-168.jpg&b=image%3Fs_it%3DimageResultsBack%26v_t%3Dnscpsearch%26q%3Dmontana%2Bnative%2Bplants%26oreq%3D5f58bd152ca74a9d8c01f09cd3b5bb75&imgHeight=2592&imgWidth=3872&imgTitle=The+Montana+Native+Plant&imgSize=5026497&hostName=blackfootnativeplants.wordpress.com

Thanks Texasranger for all the info. . . looks like I have choices. . .

I sometimes use a little calcium/magnesium salt or sand on the driveway and front walkway, and light use does not seem to have affected the perennials or grass at all.

Also the town put a sidewalk in 5 years ago, and they use quite a bit of salt treating it. The front gardens go right up to the side walk, with hardy rugged type perennials like Irises, daylilies, grasses, chives, daffs. These seem unaffected by the salt, but I did lose a butterfly weed this past winter (Asclepias tuberosa) that was right next to the sidewalk so maybe the salt affected it? I never considered the salt actually.