Salt spray, wind and sandy soil that holds nothing: the coast looks like no place for flowers. Yet marram grass binds whole dunes with its deep-running roots, hydrangeas thrive along the British coastline, and dozens more plants ask only for full sun and light, well-drained ground to flower freely.
With all these difficulties, maybe you’re thinking it’s impossible to get flowers growing in your coastal garden?
Think again! There are actually a great many plants that love this particular growing environment! Follow our guide to discover the best beach garden plants.
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Also going by the name sea kale because of its large, smooth leaves, Crambe maritima is among the seaside plants that grows particularly well in sandy, rocky and salty soil. It doesn’t like long-lasting droughts, though.
From May to July, it’s covered in little white flowers and will definitely add an original touch to all your flower beds.
Easily recognizable thanks to its blue-gray leaves and bright yellow flowers, Cineraria maritima definitely deserves its name.
It just loves rocky, sandy soil, and survives lack of water without any symptoms. It’s perfect for any ocean climate. Learn more
Very common around the Mediterranean, Phormium or New Zealand flax is more and more present in our own gardens, too. Its main asset is its upright bearing and its many-colored leaves: purple, green, variegated.
It can take on any kind of soil, and favors growing in full sun.
Original perennials, both thanks to their flowers and their leafage, the Armeria botanical genus loves poor or ordinary soil, as long as it isn’t too dry.
They also tolerate sandy soil and light substrates, so they won’t have any trouble growing along the coast. Learn more
Cinquefoil is a group of very interesting seaside perennials because they resist harsh growing environments: drought and poor soil (rocks, sand).
They also have another great advantage: diversity. Indeed, you can find leafage that ranges in a multitude of colors, from blue-gray to shiny bright green. Flowers, too: hues range from white to red, with yellow and pink blooms available, too.
It would be very easy to create an entire flower bed with only this species of plants. Learn more
Clearly prefers dry, well-draining soils, so growing on or near a beach in sandy soil is perfect for this plant. Additionally, it loves getting hit by full sun!
With its long, flowing one-of-a-kind inflorescence that boast velvety violet flowers, it will definitely bring a touch of originality to your flower beds.
Houseleek are ground cover perennials with leaves wrapped into neat rosettes. They bloom in summer. They particularly love hot, sunny spots, and only need a handful of dirt to grow.
So Jovibarba is simply ideal to add plants that will survive along the seaside. Note that Sempervivum (or Jupiter’s beard) looks nearly identical to it, but has different flowers with more petals on each.
It is also well-suited for growing in oceanic climates. Discover more
Before moving on to grasses, here is how the perennials above compare on the two things that decide success by the sea: the soil they will accept and the sun and water they need.
| Perennial | Soil it copes with | Exposure and water | Main asset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea kale (Crambe maritima) | Sandy, rocky and salty | Dislikes long-lasting droughts | Little white flowers from late spring to midsummer |
| Silver ragwort (Cineraria maritima) | Rocky, sandy | Survives lack of water without symptoms | Blue-grey leaves with bright yellow flowers |
| Phormium (New Zealand flax) | Any kind of soil | Favours full sun | Upright bearing, many-coloured leaves |
| Armeria | Poor or ordinary soil, sandy and light substrates | Must not be too dry | Original flowers and leafage |
| Cinquefoil (Potentilla) | Poor soil, rocks, sand | Resists drought | Leaves from blue-grey to bright green, flowers white to red |
| Blazing star (Liatris scariosa) | Dry, well-draining sandy soil | Loves full sun | One-of-a-kind spikes of velvety violet flowers |
| Houseleek (Jovibarba) | Only a handful of dirt needed | Hot, sunny spots | Ground-cover rosettes, blooming in summer |
Between them these perennials cover salty sand, bare rock and drought, which is most of what a seafront bed can throw at you.
id=”grasses”>Seaside grasses
Also goes by the name marram grass, european beach grass and dune grass, this grassy plant carries its name well. It’s especially happy in sandy soil, and salty sea spray doesn’t disturb it in the least.
Incidentally, this plant is a prime choice for fighting against sand dune erosion because its deep-running roots stabilize the dunes.
Also known under the name blue lyme grass and rye grass, this plant plays a big role in stabilizing sand dunes. Just like marram beach grass, it offers an astounding adaptation to seaside beach life.
Its bright blue leafage and and blooming are similar to that of rye.
A familiar sight near beaches, Lagurus ovatus (also called hare’s grass and hare’s-tail grass) prospers in sandy beachfronts. Its fuzzy oval seed clusters are soft and they pleasingly sway with the wind.
Moreover, they excel as dried cut flowers.
At the end of summer, foxtail barley bears beautiful salmon-colored flowers with long silky barbs. This annual spontaneously re-seeds and is most magnificent when planted as a group.
Easy to grow and care for, it won’t have any problems growing near the beach.
The Russian olive shrub is a tall 20 to 25 foot shrub (7Y to 8 meters) with uncommon gray-green silvery deciduous foliage. These leathery leaves are able to resist salty sea spray and its roots cope well with all types of soil, even chalky ones.
Note that its spiky stems make it an excellent option for intruder hedges. Learn more
The common names of this one leave no space for doubt. Saltbush has semi-evergreen leaves that’s a gray-blue color. It’s well suited to all situations as long as it has full sun.
With its rather smallish size (6 feet or 2 meters when mature), it’s ideal for small gardens.
Also called strawberry tree, this shrub grows from 10 to 15 feet tall (3 to 5 meters), grows fine in chalky soil, and prefers full sun.
As a standalone, in a shrub bed or in a pot, it’ll work wonders for your garden by the sea. Learn more
A typical find in the British Isles, Hydrangea is a plant that grows very well along the coastline.
The great variety of available leafage, flowers and bearing will for sure help you find the one that will complement your seaside garden. Learn more
Olearia is a cute evergreen shrub with shiny green leaves. It’s covered in small white flowers in the summertime. It requires planting in the sun and in light soil. Thus, Olearia traversii is simply perfect for a coastal garden.
Note that this is a hardy plant that can cope with temperatures as low as 15°F (-10°C). More about Olearia.
Autralian laurel has lush green, thick evergreen leaves that give it a great resilience in the face of sea spray. A compact shrub, it’s perfect for small gardens. To thrive, it needs sun. However, the type of soil doesn’t matter.
In April-May, the creamy-white blooming exhales a delicious orange-blossom fragrance.
The Cistus botanical genus is vast and includes a great many species. The blooming ranges fro May to September, and flowers hues are either white, pale pink, or bright pink.
Not very demanding in terms of soil, these shrubs nonetheless require full sun to grow best. Learn more
Reaching 10 to 12 feet when mature, the cabbage tree looks like a palm tree: the perfect silhouette for a seaside garden.
This shrubby plant also survives through drought and tolerates poor soil.
Common around the Mediterranean, hop-bush is a plant with long, narrow evergreen leaves that are very similar to those of the willow tree. Not difficult to care for, they thrive in all types of soil and seem to have evolved perfectly to grow along the seashore.
The Dodonea viscosa ‘Purpurea’ cultivar has leaves that are a beautiful violet-red hue.
Even though, as a general rule, all the tamarisk species love growing along the coast, tetrandra is the most highly recommended species. It tolerates poor, dry soil well and copes well with sea spray.
For maximum blooming, an emplacement that is richly endowed with sunlight is preferable. Your Tamarisk will pay you back for that effort with fabulous soft pink flowers at the beginning of summer. Learn more
Also called Tree Germander, this shrub displays fragrant blue-gray evergreen leaves. It is covered in cute little elongated lavender blue flowers. It prefers sunny spots in the garden, and light, well-drained soil.
It’ll fit right into your flower beds near the ocean. Learn more
Famous for its tall, elegant silhouette, maritime pine or Pinus pinaster is for sure the first pine tree to come to mind when thinking of conifers for a seaside garden. However, if you’re up to a little more originality, opt for Pinus pinea , the stone pine.
It has an umbrella-like bearing that is typical and resists harsh coastal climates very well. Learn more
Remarkable thanks to its magnificent pink flowers, the Persian silk tree has bright green leafage and spreads out in a characteristic, shade-giving manner.
It’ll adapt perfectly well to any type of soil, but does require exposure to full sun in order to develop harmoniously. Learn more
Lambert’s cypress is very interesting in several respects: it grows fast, resists cold weather and is particularly happy alongside the sea, where it won’t fear salty splashes of seawater.
Growing to a height of nearly 60 feet when mature, it is excellent as a windbreaker tree.
Mimosa is part of the botanical genus named acacia. The most famous member of this family is, for sure, winter mimosa (A. dealbata). This species unfurls evergreen, yellow-green leaves with tiny leaflets. From January to March, it unleashes an abundant bright yellow blooming with a pleasant fragrance.
For proper growth, set set it up in the sun and avoid chalky soil. Learn more
Easy to recognize thanks to its holly-like evergreen leaves, thick an green-blue in color, evergreen oak or Quercus ilex is an excellent tree for growing along the sea.
The leaves resist the salty caress of sea winds, and it copes fine with chalky soil. Not a very hardy tree, however, so it isn’t recommended if winters are harsh.
Read also: Chalk soil plants: perennials, shrubs and how to prepare the soil
