OK, so now you know something you didn't before. You have a concrete answer why it was really tough to get something to grow in a certain area.

So what can you do to correct the problem? Is it possible, or feasible, to berm areas where you want to plant?

What is it you want to screen? Does something that grows 15-20' tall do the job? Or are you looking for something taller?

Most of the plants I am going to list are on this list for one reason: These are tough plants that grow in the harshest possible environments. These are plants that for the most part, if you can grow something else, you choose to. However, in this case, that bridge has already been crossed.

Juniper, plain old eastern red cedar. Rhamnus. Russian olive. green ash. quaking aspen. certain elms.

How did you get a soil type that is Californian in Pennsylvania?

What did the soil test lab that identified the soil type recommend to amend that soil type?

kimmq is kimmsr

there is apparently an area of serpentine soil here near the border. There is even a park of serpentine barrens. I did find their web site and it says there are three types of trees will survive this soil, pitch pine, blackjack oak and post oak. The report recommends adding chemicals but from what I am reading that is a bit of a lost cause. I suppose that after years of amending that I could change the soil profile, but I would like the trees to grow now.

Several qualities of serpentine and gabbro soils make them inhospitable for traditional landscapes. Most definitive is the low Calcium/high Magnesium ratio. Additionally, they have low levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the major nutrients required by plants. If this weren’t bad enough, they also contain high levels of iron and heavy metals such as nickel, chromium and cobalt that are toxic to most plants. The result is plants that are stunted, fail to thrive, or die due to no fault of the gardener.

Serpentine soils also contain asbestos. Gardeners should thoroughly water areas known to contain serpentine before digging, rototilling or leaf-blowing. The moisture will keep asbestos fibers from becoming airborne. If feasible, cover areas of serpentine soil with 3 to 6 inches of mulch or asbestos- free soil. Growing food crops in serpentine is not advised.