Has the start of spring prompted you to create your own seaside garden, especially with travel restrictions in place? Maybe you have a coastal garden and are looking for ideas and growing advice on handling tricky salt air and more challenging soil?
Here’s a whole collection of seaside garden ideas with advice on how to create your own coastal garden, and how to choose the right kind of plants that should thrive in more coastal conditions.
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Seaside garden ideas to get you started
Going on holiday to the coast may fuel dreams of life by the seaside – but creating a seaside garden needs careful thought, bearing in mind the salt spray, strong winds and dry soil. Here are a few how-to steps to consider with a coastal garden, and choosing the right plants.
- Create a windbreak
You need a strong windbreak to minimise damage from the strong sea breezes, which will create shelter and help widen the choice of plant’s you’ll be able to grow. Plant a hedge or wind-filtering barrier of trees or shrubs which are of good depth, preferably planted in two or more staggered rows.
Good species for this job include pine, alder, hawthorn and hornbeam. If you want to go for willow or poplar, keep them well away from buildings, as tree roots can cause damage to the fabric of buildings and the drains.
Alternatively, you could go for a fence-like windbreak such as woven wattle or willow hurdles which are available from garden centres or local craftsmen. Have a look in the classified sections of any of the gardening magazines and you should find what you want.
- Test your soil
Buy a pH kit from your local garden centre. Many seaside gardens are high in alkaline because of the high calcium content of crushed sea shells. If you have alkaline soil, don’t plant lime-haters such as rhododendron or azalea, because they won’t do well.
If your soil is sandy, beef it up with some organic matter to retain moisture and add nutrients. Once you have done this, mulch the area with compost or chipped bark to keep in the moisture.
- Choose plants carefully
There are many plants which are tough enough to withstand all that salt spray and sea breeze can throw at them, but as a rule of thumb, you will find that those with tough, leathery leaves as well as spiny and hairy plants should have more resistance to drying winds.
- Check out neighbouring gardens
Walk around the area and make a note of the plants which are thriving in neighbouring gardens, so you know what would do well in yours. Sea shells, nautical antiques, washed-up timber, statues and even disused boats can be used ornamentally.
- Know what plants can thrive
Perennials which can be grown in a seaside setting include achillea, crocosmia, eryngium (sea holly), echinops (globe thistle), sedum, heuchera (coral flower), euphorbia, gazania, scabiosa.
Suitable shrubs and climbers include buddleia, berberis, genista (broom), cistus (rock rose), ceanothus, escallonia, weigela, hebe, lavatera, passiflora (passion flower), ribes (ornamental currant), rosmarinus (rosemary).
Don’t forget rock plants such as Armeria maritima, aubrieta, dianthus alpinus, phlox subulata, stachys, osteospermum jucundum, erigeron karvinskianus, Iris pumila.
