Flowers for coastal — a short introduction to this piece.
Flowers for coastal: Quick Notes
Coastal gardens have unique conditions that make gardening a bit different from other landscapes. Selecting plants requires some attention and awareness of which ones will tolerate and thrive under those conditions.
Between salt, sun, sand, and wind, coastal gardeners have limits to which flowers will be happy in their environment. Not every plant can handle those elements seamlessly. Choosing coastal garden flowers that are naturally well-adapted to them will create a more resilient and beautiful space.
The most crucial element in choosing flowers for your coastal garden is salt. There is salt in the air and salt in the soil, and that can burn leaves and damage roots. There are many plants well adapted to these conditions, many with waxy, fuzzy, or tough foliage.
Drought and sun tolerance are other important factors to consider. Coastal soil is frequently sandy and low in nutrients, as well as fast-draining. Strong, salty winds can damage more delicate stems and flowers. All of these factors play a role in whether a particular flower is right for this environment. Here are some coastal garden flowers that not only tolerate, but thrive in these conditions.
Sparkle Blend Iceplant
Sparkle Blend Iceplant Seeds
Cape Marigold African Daisy
Cape Marigold African Daisy Seeds
Sunshine Blend Gazania
Sunshine Blend Gazania Seeds
Blanket Flower
Thrives in heat and sandy soil without fuss.
Blanket flower is an excellent coastal garden flower. It’s tough, resilient, and adds tons of color to the landscape. It’s also practically made for beach life. It thrives in intense sun and heat, is flexible in strong winds, and likes sandy soil and air.
If you want to add bright, colorful flowers but not a ton of maintenance, this is a perfect plant. Its spreading habit creates a brilliant blanket of red and gold that pollinators love from spring through fall. Its leaves have a soft, fuzzy coating that helps them resist salt and drought.
Beach Sunflower
Great ground cover that handles salt and wind.
The name says it all for this one. Beach sunflower is one of the most dependable flowers for coastal gardens. It’s particularly popular along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It thrives in salt, sand, wind, and heat. The reward is a mass of golden, daisylike flowers that bloom nearly year-round in warm climates.
Beach sunflowers are mat-forming and make a wonderful, fast-growing ground cover. Their coarse, slightly fuzzy foliage protects them from the salty sea air. It has deep, sturdy roots that help prevent erosion and stabilize dunes.
Lantana
Blooms nonstop and draws butterflies all season.
You can count on lantana to bring plenty of color and tons of butterflies to coastal gardens. Through heat and drought, this little plant thrives and flowers with the best of them. It has a long blooming season and brightly colored flower clusters that are popular among pollinators.
Avoid planting L. camara, as this species can be invasive. Opt for a native species instead. There are trailing types that make an excellent ground cover, and others that make attractive, small shrubs. The coarse, aromatic leaves hold up against the tougher conditions, resisting drought and salt spray.
Sea Lavender
Looks delicate but thrives in harsh seaside air.
You may know this plant as statice, but it also goes by the name sea lavender. What you might not know is what an excellent flower this is for coastal gardens. It’s one of the most resilient plants you can grow in this environment. It thrives in salty air, sandy soil, and drought.
Despite its delicate appearance, sea lavender is sturdy and tough. The thin papery flowers dry exceptionally well, too. It’s tough, leathery stems and foliage help this one stand up to the harsh elements. It’s both elegant and durable.
Gazania
Fills bare spots fast with bright daisy blooms.
This South African native is one of the brightest little coastal garden flowers you will see. It’s cheerful and rugged, thriving in hot, sunny, sandy conditions. Gazania produces brilliantly colored, daisylike flowers in shades of red, gold, pink, white, and orange.
Gazanias are blanket-forming, so they fill in open spaces beautifully. The silvery leaves are resistant to salt spray and reflect the harsh sun. It doesn’t mind extreme exposure to sun and heat, and flowers for an extended period of several months. It’s also incredibly low-maintenance.
African Daisy
Loves sun and drains well in light soil.
Another native of South Africa, African daisies are perfect for coastal gardens. These flowers prefer the sunny, sandy, well-drained qualities of this region. They’re happy in flower beds, but do equally well on slopes and in containers. They’re good for preventing erosion and have a neat mounding or trailing habit.
This is a beautiful plant for creating a border. It rarely grows taller than two feet, so it’s nice for edges. Its flowers are large and colorful, in shades of purple, yellow, orange, pink, and white. They sometimes have contrasting violet or blue centers.
Coneflower
Strong stems and seed heads feed birds later.
Coneflowers are incredibly versatile and work nicely in coastal gardens. They bring bold color and pollinator appeal, and though they’re native to prairies, they adapt well to seaside living. They are resilient in the face of wind, heat, and drought, and also tolerate salt spray in moderation.
Coneflowers have strong stems and tough foliage that help them stand up to the elements. Once established, these coastal garden flowers require little attention except for the sake of enjoyment. Pollinators love them, and they provide food for birds in the fall with their spiky seed heads.
Daylily
Easy perennial that thrives in harsh seaside air.
This one may come as a surprise, but it’s absolutely a great plant for coastal gardens. I’m talking about daylilies, and they are one of the all-around best perennial flowers for your seaside retreat. They’re adaptable to sandy soil, salt, and handle heat beautifully. Not to mention, they laugh in the face of strong, salty winds.
Daylilies always look high-maintenance to me, but they are surprisingly easy to care for. Once established, they need little attention. Their dense root systems are excellent for stabilizing sandy slopes and dunes and preventing erosion. Some are invasive in coastal regions, so look for a species that won’t invade natural areas.
Gaura
Light stems sway gently in open wind.
Gaura is an excellent plant for coastal gardens and adds effortless grace and texture to the landscape. Its airy stems and fluttery flowers are perfect for breezy oceanside locations. It has a long blooming season and doesn’t mind heat, wind, or poor or sandy soils.
Often called whirling butterflies, gaura has long, flexible stems that move with the wind without snapping. They don’t mind a bit of salt spray, and once established, they require little to no effort from the gardener. These coastal garden flowers are also popular with pollinators.
Plumbago
Shrubby grower that flowers almost year-round.
Plumbago is a perfect flower for coastal gardens, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. If you want tons of flowers, this is a great choice! This sun-lover is native to South Africa and thrives in warm, coastal parts of the U.S. and around the world. From coast to coast, this is a popular shrub.
Plumbago is a small to medium-sized, evergreen shrub that produces a bounty of pale blue, airy flower clusters. It blooms nearly year-round in temperate coastal areas. Its soft, airy form and pale blue blooms strike a lovely contrast with rougher textures and a harsher landscape.
African Iris
Adds height and structure with its upright leaves.
African iris is a tough plant with a beautiful and delicate appearance. It’s slender, sword-shaped leaves grow in a large, grassy clump that looks beautiful year-round. As for coastal garden flowers, these are as delicate and lovely as could be. They’re intricate and bountiful in shades of white, yellow, and cream with lavender accents.
The architectural nature of this plant brings a new texture to the coastal landscape. It performs as an ornamental grass and works well in borders and mass plantings. Its roots are good for stabilizing on slopes and preventing erosion.
Society Garlic
Fragrant, hardy, and thrives in hot air.
Society garlic is similar in appearance to alliums. It has grassy leaves and pretty purple flowers that grow in airy clusters. Its outstanding heat and salt tolerance make it ideal for coastal gardens. It’s an evergreen perennial and exceptionally low-maintenance once established.
These are truly tough and able to withstand harsh conditions while still looking stunning. The dense root system is great for stabilizing soil, and the flowers are fragrant and nectar-rich. They will help feed those seaside butterflies. It likes plenty of sun and likes hot, coastal conditions.
Portulaca
Loves full sun and poor, sandy soil.
Portulaca, also called moss rose, is wonderful for coastal gardens. This succulent makes an ideal ground cover in places with poor, sandy, well-drained soil. It loves heat and is incredibly drought-tolerant. Lots of sun in your yard? Portulaca can’t get enough of it!
These coastal garden flowers are small, but bountiful and brightly colored. One plant can produce blooms in a rainbow of colors. It’s low to the ground, so it’s impervious to wind, and it doesn’t mind salt spray in the least.
Verbena
Blooms return stronger when old flowers are trimmed.
Verbenas are a versatile group of plants with excellent heat tolerance and long-lasting flowers. They’re great for coastal gardens, thriving in sunny, sandy, and salty environments. Depending on the cultivar, they can be trailing and low-growing or tall and airy.
The trailing types are wonderful for edging or using as a flowering ground cover. They flower throughout the growing season, and pollinators love the nectar-rich blossoms. Once established, they need little care, but deadheading will make them produce more flowers.
Ice Plant
Wind-tolerant and nearly maintenance-free once settled.
Ice plant is another wonderful, low-growing plant that makes a perfect ground cover for coastal gardens. It’s a succulent that does a good job of controlling erosion and thrives in sunny, sandy environments. Its low growth habit makes it tolerant of strong winds, too.
Between its evergreen foliage and bright, cheerful flowers, ice plant is stunning and brings a ton of color to the garden. It attracts pollinators and, once established, needs virtually no maintenance. It creates a colorful carpet for your seaside abode, and asks little in return.
Flowers for coastal appears here to highlight key ideas for readers.
