The soil pollution caused by diesel oil and heavy metals has become an increasingly serious environmental issue, with negative global-scale impacts. The remediation of contaminated soil requires special attention, in which phytoremediation has emerged as an ecofriendly solution. However, the response of plants to the combined stress of diesel oil and heavy metals remains largely unknown. In this study, the aim was to investigate the potential ofPopulus albaandP. russkiifor phytoremediation by examining their response to combined diesel oil and heavy metal stress. In a greenhouse experiment using soil contaminated with 15 mg kg−1of diesel oil and varying concentrations of Sr (0, 10, or 100 mg kg−1), we studied the physiological and biochemical changes, as well as the Sr absorption, ofP. albaandP. russkii. The results showed that at high concentrations of Sr and diesel oil, the growth of both species was substantially inhibited, butP. albaexhibited higher resistance due to its higher antioxidant enzyme activities and increased accumulation of soluble sugar and proline. Additionally,P. albaconcentrated Sr in the stem, whereasP. russkiiaccumulated Sr in the leaf, exacerbating its negative effects. Diesel oil treatments were beneficial for Sr extraction due to cross-tolerance. Our findings indicate thatP. albais more suitable for the phytoremediation of Sr contamination due to its superior tolerance to combined stress, and we identified potential biomarkers for monitoring pollution. Therefore, this study provides a theoretical basis and implementation strategy for the remediation of soil contaminated by both heavy metals and diesel oil.