“Challenge” and “reward” are the words Louis Dawson uses to describe his experiences with growing plants by the sea. That first year, it all looked pretty hopeless when we built our house in a coastal village in New Jersey.
I had gardened before when we lived in an inland suburban town, and it had been relatively easy to grow trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals, but here it looked as if it would be different.
We were not really on the ocean, but about one block back, where we had a good view of the sea and received all of its beneficent winds, filled with the fury of hurricanes and northeasters.
We also had plenty of salt in the air, so we knew we must decide between plant life that would tolerate salt and that to which it was anathema.
Seashore Plantings
I talked with our local landscape gardener, who gave me a better understanding of our situation but not the complete solution to our problem.
He explained that there were seashore plantings and seashore plantings but did not necessarily mean the same thing.
There was the clearly defined shoreline and the area running back for a hundred yards or so, and here any coastal plant list would have to be severely cut to find plants that would survive.
On the other hand, starting three or four blocks from the ocean, there was a wide area of survival; indeed, most trees and plants would survive there.
Many lists of coastal plantings were based on such wind-protected areas. However, it was the in-between area, subject to combined wind and salt in scattered but strong assaults, that was indeterminate, and here was where the problem lay for many seashore dwellers.
This was our problem, and we decided, with all the advice we could obtain, to solve it by trial and error.
The story would be too long should I attempt to describe our many failures. But slowly, success developed, and a garden emerged.
Planting In Exposed Spots
In the first place, we found that with few exceptions, it was hopeless to plant in positions exposed to the fury of storms off the ocean.
Casual inspection of surrounding properties made the ordinary privet hedge seem a safe bet for boundaries, and we planted it in a double row to secure a strong stand.
We badly needed several trees on our bare lot, and for this purpose, we chose Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) and Austrian pine (P. nigra).
We can recommend both of these for really exposed spots.
We tried hollies, year after year, and finally gave up. They need greater protection. Our greatest find of a deciduous tree, or tree-like shrub, was the Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia).
This is an exceptionally hardy, inexpensive little tree, tolerant of salt and capable of withstanding northeasters and hurricanes.
It needs no protection after planting but does need judicious pruning to prevent it from growing as a shrub.
Foundation Planting
Our foundation planting of necessity was relatively simple. We used a wealth of hydrangeas, a must at the seashore, with yew, Pfitzer juniper, and Rosa rugosa completing the list.
Our house is a New England farmhouse type, with a white fence attached to the house.
In a protected spot, we finally established Blaze roses on the fence. Also, in a nest of rugosas we planted a beach plum (Prunus maritima), and this, after several years of struggle, shows signs of doing well and adds some needed height.
In the fall, we built a snow fence to protect the foundation planting, except the rugosa, from the harsh winds. Unfortunately, we found too much burn without this, although the plants lived through the winter.
We tried ordinary barberry in several spots, but the leaves burned too easily in the summer winds. We are trying Cotoneaster divaricata in an exposed spot. With protection during the first two winters, it looks as if it may do well.
How To Cope With Salt and Wind
One thing that must be recognized to cope with salt and wind is establishing a strong root system. To do this successfully, nearly everything must be carefully protected through the first two winters.
The second thing we have learned, with the few exceptions noted above, is that protection or windbreak is almost, if not certainly, a must for plant life at the shore.
The first year of many failures taught us that. But the happy surprise came in succeeding years after we had learned our lesson.
We enclosed our entire rear space with a 5-foot fence, and inside the fence planted protective shrubs, also carefully selected to stand against salt and wind.
Predominant here were Tamarix and vitex, the latter a delightful surprise with its lilac-like summer bloom.
Against the north fence so that it could be protected and receive the southern sun and warmth, we planted firethorn (pyracantha), and it has rewarded us well with its beautiful berries.
Floribunda roses have done well in this protected space. Hypericum, well recommended for its tolerance to salt, did not come through the winters, with several tries and several varieties. The Scotch broom is doing well.
Within this area, too, protected partly by the house itself, we have a willow tree, a flowering cherry, and two flowering crabs, all doing well but making slow growth.
The winds remain the greatest deterrent, even when we attempt to shield plants from them.
Evergreens
Among the evergreens, euonymus, Ilex crenata and its forms, and yew have done handsomely with some protection. Perhaps American Holly would do well if planted in this semi-protected area. Hinodegiri azaleas have done only fairly well but have survived.
Flowers, with the protection of houses and fences and reasonable attention to soil requirements, have been the lesser problem.
Among perennials, we have found responsive the following:
- Gaillardia
- Rudbeckia
- Daylily
- Iris
- Chrysanthemum
- Foxglove (actually a biennial)
- Coral-bells
- Nepeta mussinii
- Achillea
- Doronicum
- Gypsophila
- Plumbago
- Sedum
Selected annuals have been no problem with the partial protection I have described. Petunia, zinnia, marigold, snapdragon, sweet-alyssum, ageratum, portulaca, and vinca have given fine results.
Bulbs of tulips and daffodils have done well in semi-protected spots. The better the protection, the better, and the earlier the blooms.
Soil to Begin With
As to soil, we were fortunate to have something better than sand to start with. The original soil was a typical coastal soil, heavily weighted with sand but still far from pure sand. On top of this, the previous owner had put a 4- to 5-inch layer of topsoil.
We skimmed off some of this soil when digging the house foundation and used it to deepen the topsoil around the foundation and in the garden area.
This gave us fair soil about 8″ inches deep. In planting, however, we mixed in a good supply of peat moss at the base of the root system. In addition, we use fertilizers in customary amounts.
Seaside gardening alternates between discouragement and a challenge. But we discovered that nature could be coaxed to yield some of its inland beauty, even here by the sea, with care, perseverance, and a little love.
44659 by Louis Dawson