Soil Moisture Preferences:

Annual precipitation totals in Arkansas range roughly from 45 to 55 inches across the state, with totals increasing from northwest to southeast (due to the greater availability of Gulf of Mexico moisture in the southeast). December and January tend to be the wet months in the southern counties, while March through May is the northern wet period. The driest month tends to be August.

Determining or recommending an exact number of inches of moisture for any given tree is difficult due to variation in compacted urban soils, soil type, and site microclimates. The best rule of thumb for watering trees is thoroughly, deeply and less often. Trees are not drought tolerant until they are will established which can take 2 to 3 years after planting.

Trees can be grouped however according to general soil moisture preferences.

The majority of trees fall into the category of moist soils, which means they grow best with adequate moisture but soils that also drain well.

Common Name	Scientific Name
American Elm	Ulmus americana
Ashe Juniper	Juniperus ashei
Bald Cypress	Taxodium distichum
Black Gum	Nyssa sylvatica
Bur Oak	Quercus macrocarpa
Cherry Laurel	Prunus caroliniana
Cherrybark Oak	Quercus falcata var. Pagodaefolia
Chinese Pistache	Pistacia chinensis
Crapemyrtle - Natchez	Lagerstroemia indica 'Natchez'
Deciduous Magnolia	Magnolia liliiflora 'Nigra' X Magnolia stellata 'Rosea'
Eastern Redbud	Cercis canadensis
Eastern White Pine	Pinus strobus
Flowering Crabapple	Malus sp.
Flowering Dogwood	Cornus florida
Ginkgo - Autumn Gold	Ginkgo biloba 'AutumnGold'
Golden Catalpa - Aurea	Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’
Goldenraintree	Koelreuteria paniculata
Green Ash	Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Harry Lauders Walking Stick	Corylus avellana 'Contorta'
Heptacodium	Heptacodium miconioides
Honeylocust	Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis
Japanese Flowering Cherry	Prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan' or 'Sekiyama'
Japanese Maple	Acer palmatum
Kentucky Coffeetree	Gymnocladus dioicus
Lacebark Elm	Ulmus parvifolia
Linden	Tilia cordata
Live Oak	Quercus virginiana
Loblolly Pine	Pinus taeda
Loblolly Pine - 604	Pinus taeda
Longwood Gardens Dawn Redwood	Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Northern Red Oak	Quercus rubrum
Norway Maple	Acer platanoides
Nuttall Oak	Quercus nuttallii
Ornamental Pear - Bradford	Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford'
Osage - orange	Maclura pomifera 'White Shield'
Persian Parrotia	Parrotia persica
Persimmon	Diospyros virginiana
Pin Oak	Quercus palustris
Post Oak	Quercus stellata
Red Maple	Acer rubrum
Red Maple - October Glory	Acer rubrum
Redbud - 126	Cercis canadensis
Redbud - Forest Pansy	Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'
Redbud - Oklahoma	Cercis canadensis ssp. texensis ‘Oklahoma’
River Birch	Betula nigra
Sawtooth Oak	Quercus acutissima
Scarlet Oak	Quercus coccinea
Shumard Oak	Quercus shumardii
Silver Maple - Hybrid	Acer saccharinum
Sourwood	Oxydendrum arboreum
Southern Magnolia	Magnolia grandiflora
Southern Magnolia - Little Gem	Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem'
Sugar Maple	Acer saccharum
Swamp Chestnut Oak	Quercus michauxii
Sweet Bay Magnolia	Magnolia virginiana
Sweetgum	Liquidambar styraciflua
Trident Maple	Acer buergerianum
Tuliptree	Liriodendron tulipifera
Vitex Chaste	Vitex incisa
Water Oak	Quercus nigra
Weeping Redbud Lavender Twist	Cercis canadensis
White Fringetree	Chionanthus virginicus
White Oak	Quercus alba
Willow Oak	Quercus phellos
Willow Oak Memorial	Quercus phellos
Winged Elm	Ulmus alata