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Hedges
For hedges pines (Pinus radiata and P. nigra ssp. maritima) and macrocarpa (Cupressus macrocarpa), the poor man's yew, will make a dense and even green hedge. If using these larger conifers to establish shelter remember that they are, eventually, very large trees and that you must clip regularly to avoid having an overgrown monster devouring most of your section! Once you cut these conifers hard back to below the level of the green leaves, they will not come away again and nothing looks more spectacularly ugly than a butchered hedge.
Mixed hedges of natives or clipped banks of broadleaf, coprosma make a wonderful hedge that is adapted for coastal conditions.
Shrubs
Inside your dense shelter belt you can grow buddleias (Buddleja davidii), the butterfly bush, which produces panicles of flowers each summer in white, lilac deep purple and maroon and are constantly smothered in nectar seeking insects. To maintain a good shape you should prune your buddleia regularly or even cut almost to the ground in late winter to encourage a lush new growth.
The list goes on. Correa reflexa, Coprosma repens, Echium candicans, Choisya ternata, hibiscus, Arbutus unedo, eucalyptus, Ake ake (Dodonea viscosa), olives (Olea europea), and tamarisk (Tamarix parviflora), and Austrialian frangipani (Hymenosporum flavum) will all grow on the coast. You must select your shrubs depending on rainfall, humidity and the exposure of your garden to coastal winds and salt spray.
Enjoy the View
It is a shame to live by the sea and not see it, so resist the temptation to completely block out the wind - you will never see the sun sparkling on the water if you do.
One idea for a garden right on the coast with a sea view is to plant a band of natives between the house and the sea - something low enough that you can still see the waves but that will stabilise the sandy soil, and stop the wind wiping sand into your eyes and your morning coffee.
A wonderful scheme is to mix groups of different hebes, giving year-round gentle patterns of green, grey-green and deep maroon foliage, with the plus of summer flowers. The familiar daisy bush, Brachyglottis greyi 'Sunshine' (we used to call it Senecio), will form a rounded mass of silver grey foliage with bright yellow summer flowers. Do include the brilliant Marlborough rock daisy (Pachystegia insigis) for its lovely mound of deep-green glossy leaves and summer daisies that are held high above the plant.
Plant in groupings of four to seven plants, to make the scheme cohesive and prevent a restless spotty effect. Plant far enough apart to allow for size at maturity, but close enough that the hebes will shelter each other as they establish. Then sit back and enjoy. To introduce different textures and form introduce some of the grasses (Chionochla bromoides will thrive) that are hardy on the coast and, for taller emphasis, the native toe-toe (Cortaderia spp.).
Strong architectural contrast comes from the upright form of Phormium tenax, the native flax. The upright, grey-green leaves with deep brown-red spikes of flowers have a definite vertical emphasis. A potential bully, the flax is also a good windbreak and will establish sizeable clumps. The beauty of this type of scheme is that it looks good year round; there is nothing more dismal than an outlook that is only attractive in summer.
Chose outdoor sitting areas for dining and relaxing on the basis of the view and the orientation to the sun, plus available shelter. An evening barbeque site should get the last possible rays of the setting sun and be sheltered, a corner for al fresco breakfast or morning coffee should catch the morning sun, and so on. Choose at least one area with a spectacular view- you would be truly unlucky if there was never a day calm enough to enjoy the view from an exposed site with a panoramic outlook.
To complement the native planting above, a scheme with a slightly elevated path, planted closely with a mass of hebes, olearias, grasses and flax will create a wonderful walk on the sea-side of a beach house and culminating in a deck with perhaps a raised seat surrounding it. This would make an unobtrusive but wonderful sitting area. The hebes and other plants would grow up to the level of the decking and perhaps the seat, and you would be surrounded by your garden, with a wonderful outlook over the sea.
Mediterranean Themes
For a Mediterranean theme there is a huge range of shrubs - cistus, rosemary, lavenders, sages, santolinia, the Indian hawthorn (Raphiolepsis indica), the silvery shrub Convolvulus cneorum, and others - although these may not stand up to the same extreme conditions that the native plants, already acclimatised, will.
Tropical Coasts
Palms give an instant feel of the tropics. There are many to choose from, such as our native nikau (Rhopalostylis sapida). Bamboo is another plant associated with the tropics. Used as a screen it is effective, but select carefully as it can become a problem. Using large-leaved plants and trees (e.g the puka, Mertya sinclairii) as well as tender climbers, such as Tecomanthe speciosa deliver a tropical look.
Flowers on the kaka beak (Clianthus puniceus), frangipani and hibiscus will reinforce the tropical theme, as do the flags of bright canna flowers and bromeliad foliage.
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Strong landscapes need strong design
A path of crushed shell edged with native grasses
Natives in a coastal garden
Grasses and astelia border a paved area
An informal coastal garden planted with NZ natives
Sheltered dining areas with glimpses of the sea
Mediterranean themes with Cistus 'Bennetts White'
Massed spires of Echium candicans
Tamarix parviflora
Australian frangipani grows near the coast
A bamboo screen creates a tropical feel
Tropical Plants
 There are a host of tropical and tropical 'look' plants ideal for the coast | | |
