Oceanfront properties are known for their amazing views of water landscapes. However, they can be a difficult place to grow plants. The soil is salty and the wind is fierce. Here are some ideas to create garden landscaping that works near the waterfront by using salt tolerant plants.
The Basics of Seaside Landscaping: Plants and Salty Soil
Most plants prefer soil that is not overly salty. Salt makes it difficult for root cells to slurp up water and makes soil less porous, because salt swells the clay in the soil, reducing the spaces available for air and water to flow through. This means the even though the soil may be moist, the plants dry out. Everyday plants grown in salty soil can look burned, refuse to open their buds, drop their leaves, and eventually die.
Salt Tolerant Plants Grow Well in Oceanfront Environments
Although most plants will require a lot of soil amendments and care to grow in a seaside environment, the beach has plants that love it. These plants grow naturally in salt-rich environments around the world. Since salt makes it hard for plants to keep moist, oceanfront plants act like desert plants to retain moisture in thick, waxy leaves. Beach plants also have clever ways to get rid of salt. Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) has glands that secrete salt. Some plants send the salt as far away as possible. The glassworts (Salicornia species) send salt into their outer leaves, and these leaves fall from the plant after a time.
Plant Species That Thrive On the Waterfront
What plants thrive in a waterfront setting? Many columbines, honeysuckles (Lonicera species) and daylilies (Hemerocallis species) do surprisingly well. Ivy geraniums in hanging baskets can survive the salty wind. There are also a number of variations on traditional garden plants that will survive in a waterfront garden. These include bearberry (Arctostaphylos species) whose bright red berries and green foliage make a striking undergrowth plantis a Barren strawberry (Potentilla sterilis) is a beautiful variant on the traditional strawberry, and it makes a good groundcover. Villosa lilac (Syringa villosa) and Laurel Leaf Willow (Salix pentandra) work well as a hedge or a windbreak. Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) is also a windbreak shrub, though it is more famous for its use in scented candles.
Designing a Garden on Waterfront Property
Those who want to design a garden on waterfront property need to decide how much to work with existing environments. The lowest-maintenance route is to use the resources that already exist in the landscape. Little hollows can protect more sensitive plants, and trees that grow on the property can provide shelter. Native plants are a good choice for the gardener who wants a low-maintenance but beautiful seaside garden.
Those who would like to grow plants more readily available in stores need to consider some adjustments to the waterfront landscape. Planting a tree provides shade and a windbreak for more sensitive plants. Creating raised beds allows the waterfront gardener to have some discretion about soil pH, salinity, and porosity.
For the new waterfront gardener who is imagining a garden, landscaping a seaside property can seem to be a daunting task. However, with some help from the natural properties of salt-tolerant plants, it is possible to create a beautiful, thriving ocean garden.
Sources:
Carle, Melissa and Rouse, Jennifer. 2006. North Carolina Coastal Explorers.
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