Flowers by the Sea If you want a flower border then you must chose your site carefully. For along with the standard requirements for periods of sunshine, fertile soil, etc., you will also have to provide shelter and protection form wind and salt spray. Coastal tolerant plants will give you a colourful and lovely garden despite this.
Rugosa roses will grow by the sea, their apple-green crinkled foliage and flowers are lovely anywhere. If your soil is not too light and you can provide protection from salt winds, you may be able to try many more roses.
In the border Gaura lindheimeri is a must for its lovely dancing butterfly flowers throughout the summer, the catmints (Nepeta ssp.) will give you masses of mauve flowers in early summer (and a second flush if you cut back firmly after flowering), and the familiar lavenders and salvias are an invaluable coastal plant. Phlomis fruticosa, Jerusalem sage, will give whorls of yellow flowers.
Hemerocallis, the day lilies, in cream, red and yellow tones will flower on and on. More bright sunny yellow can be included with the South African daisy bush Euryops pectinatus, with grey foliage contrasting with the brightly coloured flowers.
Watch the Escapees Agapanthus will provide clear blue or pristine white flowers in summer and their bold strap-like leaves are a useful foil for other plants all year. A word of caution on planting agapanthus, however, if you don't remove the seed heads then you can easily introduce them into areas where they are not wanted and are, to be frank, a weed and a pest.
Although they will thrive, we do not recommend planting watsonias on the coast. They do too well and are already a pest in the greater Auckland region. The kaffir lily (Schiostylis ssp.), will thrive, although the sight of it strung out along waterways means that this is another escapee from our gardens that should be planted with care.
More Flowers Smaller garden plants that will establish in coastal conditions include dianthus, with their wonderful fragrance. Geums in bright yellow (Geum montana) and muddy red (G. rivale) will form clumps, give them some compost on planting. They flower all summer if you shear the spent flowerheads.
The regal Pelargoniums, or 'geraniums', will do well. There are many, lovely scented varieties to try. An added bonus is that these fragrant leaves are said to deter flies.
Succulents with thick, fleshy leaves are ideally suited to the coast. Sedum spectabile will give you late summer colour and provide nectar for insects as well. Echeverias and many other succulents can be used.
The glorious and exotic flowers of the amaryllis with their strap-like leaves introduce a welcome change of form into the border composition.
Lower, mat forming plants that are ideal by the coast are arctotis, to be found in deep maroon, clear yellow and cream, all contrasting with silvery grey leaves. Gazanias are similar and the most familiar has bright yellow flowers with deep green leaves. Try the blue thistle like flowers of Centurea montana, ajugas for their ground covering ability. Make sure the border is clear of weeds first as weeding amongst these chaps is not fun!
Borders can be edged with swathes of bergenia for winter interest. Lirope muscari, apricot and orange clivias, and the lovely native renga renga lily (Arthropodium cirratum) and will thrive in shady corners.
A Gardening Challenge Gardening near the coast may be a special challenge, but from adversity comes inspiration. With the many different plants that will thrive in each areas it is no wonder there are wonderful coastal gardens from North Cape to Bluff.
Kiwis love the beach - coastal gardening can be fun
More Garden Style and Design
Roses by the sea? Try rugosas such as R. 'Frau Dagmar Hastrup'
Long flowering Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterflies'
Hemerocallis, day lilies, flowers on and on
Agapanthus campanulatus tough, but can become a pest
Geum montanum, attractive clumps that flower all summer
Centurea montanum, perennial cornflower
An informal coastal path lined with rengarenga and arctotis
Invaluable Arctotis - long flowering, colourful and handle poor soils
Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and other succulents thrive
Nikau - 'tropical' native plants for the coast
Gardens by the Sea It doesn't matter what category your coastal garden fits into, author Barbara Seagall looks at the different challenges of gardening by the sea.
