From North to South, along the vast oceans of the world, French coasts are among the most beautiful in the world. They have mild, temperate climates which means that a great many plant options are open to their seaside gardens – botanically speaking!
Take a look at our French selection of seaside garden plants!
Brittany gardens are known for their stunning hydrangea. Why are they so abundant in this area? They take on a beautiful blue color due to the acidic soil. They’re easy to pair with many heath soil plants such as azalea, rhododendron, and magnolia.
To mirror the blue of the sea, add agapanthus for spherical blue blooms!
Brittany also welcomes plants from tropical areas thanks to the mildness of its weather, too. Every so often, you can glimpse palm trees or banana leaves reaching up over behind private garden walls.
Mediterranean gardens have a unique combination of endemic plants.
Silvery-leaved fragrant species alternate with bright-colored flowers.
As for trees, you can’t do without an olive tree! Also typical is the evergreen oak and the occasional bougainvillea. From among the many perennials, you can count on lavender, rosemary, statice, thyme, artemisia and helichrysum. Hedges is where oleander serves best with its colorful flowers.
For beds of drought-tolerant, sharp-drainage plants, a gravel mulch suits conditions better than bark, which holds moisture and suits woodland-style planting, so choose the mulch according to what you are growing.
Bougainvillea is frost-tender, so outside the mildest Mediterranean coastal areas it needs a warm, sheltered spot such as a sun-baked wall, or pot cultivation with winter protection under glass.
Each stretch of French coast offers its own soil, shelter and light, and that decides what will thrive in the garden. Use the table to find the region closest to your own conditions before choosing plants.
| Coast | Conditions | Signature plants | Garden character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brittany | Acidic heath soil, mild weather | Hydrangea, azalea, rhododendron, magnolia, agapanthus | Blue-toned beds, with palm and banana in sheltered corners |
| Mediterranean | Hot, dry, sharp drainage | Olive, evergreen oak, lavender, rosemary, statice, thyme, artemisia, helichrysum, oleander | Silver foliage and fragrance against bright flowers |
| Normandy | Cool and English-influenced | Foxglove, gaura, pennisetum, viburnum, phlox, daylily, clematis, climbing roses | Mixed borders, pergolas, willow and beech shade |
| Southwest, Vendée to Spain | Mild but windy, dry sandy soil | Balisier, strelitzia, hollyhock, centaury, chastetree, conifers, ferns | Exotic planting mixed with tough native species |
Whichever coast you garden on, salt spray and free-draining sand remain the two constants to plant around.
Nearer to England, gardens in Normandy often have a touch of English influence. Thus, shrubs, climbing plants, perennials, grasses and biennials form ravishing mixed borders.
Within these diverse flower beds, foxglove, gaura, pennisetum, viburnum, phlox, daylily, clematis… abound!
Pergolas and arbors are sheathed in climbing roses, and tall trees like willow and beech extend their cool, generous shade. Always remember to plant a couple apple and pear trees for cider, too!
Leave a few foxglove spires standing to shed their seed, and the biennials will keep renewing themselves along the border.
Screen the bed from salt-laden gusts with a shrub hedge on the seaward side.
From Vendée to the Spanish border, the ocean keeps temperatures mild, but strong winds come and go as they please.
Gardens must make the most of a set of plants that cope well with drought that sandy soil makes more harsh than it would be.
Exotic influences connect with native species, making every garden a battlefield of beauty. Balisiers and Strelitzia sway with the wind. More rigid hollyhock, centaury and chastetree will stand their ground. Heath soil marks another region, together with flourishing conifers, and further south still, ferns are abundant.
To create a hedge for your seaside garden, it’s important to select shrubs that can resist both sandy soil and salty spray. Sandy soil drains extremely fast. Water runs right through it, quickly leaving it dry. Nutrients go the same path: they don’t stay near the surface. So the key is to select shrubs that don’t need much soil moisture, and survives on very few nutrients.
Here is a great selection of salt-and-sand-proof shrubs for your coastal hedge:
Water each new shrub thoroughly so moisture reaches the entire root ball, but on fast-draining sandy soil expect to repeat it more often, because sand holds little water between waterings.
Mulch the base with bark, pine needles or shingle to slow evaporation.
Stretch windbreak netting along the seaward side until the young hedge is tall enough to shelter itself.
Grasses are ideal in coastal gardens because their frail stems sway with the wind without ever breaking.
As for appearance, their golden blades seem to merge with the surrounding sand and will complement every growing bed beautifully.
This family of plants has another valuable advantage: it requires practically no care at all. Perfect for a vacation beach house! Stipa grows two feet tall (50 cm) and forms green clumps in spring that turn to gold in summer. Pair it with Miscanthus, the feathery frond grass, and with Deschampsia that has vaporwave vibes. For a sprig of color, your best bet is Muhlenbergia capillaris: it boasts a rare airy-light cloud of pink seed pods in season.
