Coastal Garden: 10 Must-Have Plants

By Veronica

Gardening by the sea can be challenging. Finding plants able to cope with salty winds and consequently, the drought, is not an easy task. On the other hand, the frost does not affect the gardens so much in Dublin bay and when it does, it is never for too long so it allows you to try out varieties that may be a little bit more tender.

A good soil for a good start

The closer you are to the shore, the tougher the plants will need to be. Amending your soil is essential. The soil by the coast is often sandy and rocky, so very free-draining. Dig in manure or soil improver every year, unless you prefer to make raised beds, backfilled with lovely topsoil. Don’t forget to mulch to prevent evaporation, it makes a huge difference. In sunny borders, use organic mulch like wood chippings, bark or even leaf mould. These retain the moisture in the ground and help to improve the quality of the soil as they decompose. Stone and gravel are better in shaded areas and around drought tolerant plants. They do not retain moisture as much and heat up in the sun which can cause damage to your plants.

Providing shelter

Providing a little bit of shelter to your plants will help considerably to keep them healthy. The windbreak fabric is a very affordable option, although maybe not the best looking. It can be used on its own or as a secondary protection behind a hedge.

If you are right at the sea, the choice of hedging will be somewhat limited. The best would be the Eleagnus (silverberry) or the brachyglottis (Senecio Sunshine) as their hairy foliage will protect them from the salt. The first can reach a height of 4 m and can give you privacy. It produces white flowers in the Autumn which are not showy but highly scented. The second is smaller, only to 1.5m, and its bright yellow blooms will cheer you up in Summer and Autumn.

Other varieties to consider include Griselinia (for a fast growing hedge) or Escallonia for its flowers (mostly in shades of pink but also available in white).

10 Great Plants for the coastal garden

Phormium

The New Zealand Flax gives an instant modern seaside look to the garden. You may be familiar with the larger specimens but there are also more compact forms with outstanding colour available. ‘Platt’s Black’, for example, adds drama to any border or large container. It grows to only 90cm high so will not compete with its neighbouring plants. ‘Pink Panther’ is another beauty to try. The pink and reddish-green leaves are absolutely stunning and it is just as compact.

Hebe

The shrubby veronica is long flowering, great for pollinators and compact enough to be grown in containers or in the ground. Ideal, right? It is also evergreen, so will provide colour all year-round. Most varieties flower throughout the Summer and early autumn. The thick foliage guarantees a good resistance to drought once established. A few varieties like ‘Green Globe’ do not flower but most bear flowers in shades of pink, purples or white. The foliage can be just as colourful as the blooms and stand out for itself, ‘Rhubarb and custard’, ‘Heartbreaker’ or ‘Variegata’ are good examples of this.

                      Photo by Veronica for Windyridge Garden Centre

Callistemon

Native to Australia, the Bottlebrush is extravagant and spectacular when in flower. The red flowers bring an exotic look to the garden in late spring and early summer. Mind that it is not very hardy so it would need protection if the winter was more severe than usual. It typically grows well in gardens in the Dublin Bay as frost rarely sets. Citrinus ‘Splendens’ is a small variety, growing to 1.5 metres but if you have a little bit of space, or need a feature, the Laevis type will make a statement, reaching a height of 4 metres.

 

Cistus

The rock rose with papery flowers is a must-have in a coastal garden. The flowers only last one day each but they keep on coming for months during the summer. Not only can it withstand salty winds but poor soils, thus making it the perfect plant for tricky spots! It is evergreen as well. Their height and spread range from 0.5 to 1.5 metres making it suitable for any garden size.

Stipa Tenuissima

The Ponytail grass is one of the best-selling plants and there are many reasons for this. It can fit in a wide range of garden styles. Sensory garden, coastal, cottage, contemporary… It seems to go with everything! It is soft, adds movement and is a wonderful companion for tall herbaceous plants or standard trees. In the summer, feathery flowers gently glisten in the sun.

Erigeron

The Mexican fleabane is a rising star. It is very easy to grow, you may have seen it growing spontaneously in crevasses and walls by the sea. The daisy-like flowers start out white and turn pink as they mature. It also flowers over a long period of time, the whole summer, right until the first frost. Perfect for very low maintenance gardens as it virtually does not need human intervention to grow.

 

Stachys

The most popular variety is certainly the Lamb’s ears (Stachys Byzantina), although other varieties are also suitable for coastal gardens. Most Stachys bear pink flowers but it is also common to find white or purple flowering varieties. They are perfect for the front of the border in the sun. Try planting different varieties to make an interesting mat with mixed textures.

Eryngium

Love blue? This one is for you. The prickly sea holly is not only a great cut flower, but also the perfect herbaceous for the seaside. It looks wonderful with ornamental grasses (like the Ponytails above) and other herbaceous in all shades, like yarrow, rudbeckias, salvias or verbenas for colourful borders in mid and late summer. Mind that some varieties are very prickly however, so they are not the best choice for the front of the border in a family garden.

Nepeta

Catmint is such an easy perennial. The aromatic leaves are very attractive to felines and pleasant for humans too. But we mostly enjoy the flowers from late spring to late summer in shades of lavender-blue. ‘Six Hills Giant’ is one of the largest, it also has a looser form and will spread. Snip a few stems to add to your bouquets of roses or peonies. For pots or the front of the border, ‘Purrsian Blue’ or ‘Pink cat’ are better, thanks to their compact habit.

Crocosmia

It grows wildly  on the side of the roads in Kerry and that just shows how resilient the Mountbretia is! ‘Lucifer’, the tall, bright red variety is certainly the most seen and maybe, the toughest, other cultivars offer larger flowers in bold shades of oranges and yellows. Plants these with dahlias and salvias for a striking display in late summer.

 

Most of these will grow in full sun or partial shade and will need, at least, 5-6 hours of sun daily to flower profusely. Other plants to consider include Agapanthus (African lily), japanese anemones, Ozothamnus, Helichrysum or lavender. If you can keep the soil moist, the Hydrangea is unrivalled when it comes to large flowerheads.

Cover: Photo by Jill Dimond on Unsplash