Coastal Gardening

Coastal gardening is a relatively new discipline but is quickly becoming a popular outdoor pastime. The seaside is a brilliant place for both plants and people and, even if gardening on the coast can be difficult, it brings an excellent opportunity to explore different gardening avenues and styles.

One of the biggest challenges for any aspiring seaside gardener is the wind. Thanks to the lack of cover, coastal gardens will almost always be very windy. As such, it is essential to find plants that can cope with a constant barrage of salty sea air. This might sound difficult, but there are plenty of options. The best plants for growing in coastal gardens include those with narrow needle-like, silvery, or waxy leaves as this provides them with enough protection. Regardless, it’s important to add several windbreaks to every coastal garden to give plants some respite. The key here is not to use solid windbreaks, as these can simply channel wind to another part of the garden, but to use permeable ones, allowing the wind to flow as a pleasant breeze through plant leaves.

Another coastal gardening challenge that many will be familiar with is the lack of good soil. Often, soil on the coast is stony and sandy, and can be free draining. As such, it’s crucial to add nutrients to it with garden compost or manure, particularly when attempting to establish young plants. However, if creating the perfect soil seems like too much bother, there are plenty of plants that will thrive in this environment, including Mediterranean plants such as thyme, sage, and rosemary, which all love to grow in poor soil near the sea. You can also consider exotic plants such as echiums and agaves.

One of the key advantages of creating a seaside garden is that it allows you to grow plants that wouldn’t usually thrive in a normal garden. Thanks to their positions, coastal gardens have higher levels of light and tend to be warmer in winter when compared to the inland. As such, you may even have the chance to grow a range of exotic plants including Torbay Palms, daisy bushes, and bottlebrushes. It’s also worth considering some native coastal plants including seakale, sea holly, and thrift.

When designing your perfect coastal garden, you may be tempted to fight against the sea, trying to create a little piece of inland on the sands. However, embracing the sea can create a unique look for your garden and is far, far easier. If you want to give your garden a little uplift, try decorating with pebbles and gravel to connect the garden to its surroundings. Additionally, gravel acts as a great mulch which can preserve moisture and prevent pesky weeds. You can even give beachcombing a try, adding any beautiful finds to your garden.

Finally, to maintain your garden to a delightful standard all year round, mulch the beds to prevent as much moisture loss as possible. Even if the garden is in a place which receives plenty of rainfall, the soil quality and high salt levels can cause gardens to dry out.

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