How to Create a Coastal Garden with Drought-Tolerant Shrubs and Lawns

Salt spray is often considered an enemy of gardens, as it represents a stress factor for many plants. However, it is possible to create a lush and resilient coastal garden by choosing varieties that adapt to salt water and alkaline, salt-laden soil. By choosing the right plants and lawns, the benefits in terms of water and maintenance resource savings are considerable, many of the BotanicalDryGarden varieties adapt easily to these conditions, allowing for the creation of a low-water-use coastal garden, rich in flowers and extremely fragrant.



The benefits of a coastal garden

When designing a coastal garden, it is essential to start from the premise that plants that naturally grow near the coast are able to withstand salt spray. This characteristic depends on the ability to expel excess salt through the leaves and roots, which are generally sturdier than average, precisely due to their ability to absorb salt water. These plants are also extremely useful for the surrounding environment, as their roots protect the soil, reducing the effects of marine erosion.

However, the benefits of a coastal garden are not limited to those for the land: many of the salt-resistant plants, in fact, require very little maintenance, and the choice of our low-water-use varieties makes the coastal garden even more sustainable, ecological, and economical.

Which alternative lawn varieties to choose

Almost all alternative lawns from BotanicalDryGarden can be chosen for a coastal garden: with the exception of Achillea crithmifolia, in fact, all the other varieties are moderately or highly salt-resistant. However, there are particularly high-performing combinations for coastal gardens, which allow for a rich and easy-to-maintain lawn even in the most adverse conditions.

Our preferred solution is the mix of Lippia nodiflora and Verbena hybrida, two varieties endowed with truly remarkable resistance and capable of providing a spectacular flowering. Frankenia laevis and Cotula lineariloba can also be combined with Lippia and Verbena.

Another solution is a lawn of Zoysia tenuifolia, a low-water-use grass that provides a dense plant carpet, soft and resistant to trampling. Similar to the classic English lawn, Zoysia is the ideal choice for areas of the garden that are walked on barefoot, and can also be used for foot massage. Furthermore, its resistance to chlorine makes it also suitable as a lawn to use by the pool.

To these versatile types of lawn is also added Dymondia margaretae, a very special plant that forms an impenetrable grey-green carpet on the ground and which, in summer, provides cheerful yellow flowers. Finally, even ’Arctotheca calendula, an annual groundcover with exceptionally rapid growth in the presence of warm climates, is perfect for coastal gardens. Its abundant flowering appears in early spring and lasts until late autumn, especially in the warmer areas of our country. The flowers are similar to large daisies of a beautiful bright yellow.

Enriching the coastal garden with shrubs

Especially for gardens with medium or large surfaces, in addition to the lawn, the landscape can be enriched by choosing small salt-resistant shrubs perfect for creating a Mediterranean coastal landscape. Among our varieties, those most resistant to salt spray are: Sarcopoterium, Helichrysum, Santolina, Limoniastrum, Artemisia, Atriplex, Gazania marittima, Senecio, Dorycnium hirsutum, Myrsine africana, Anthyllis barba-jovis, Obione portulacoides, Rosmarinus.

Choosing the varieties best suited to your needs and the combinations of low-water-use plants and alternative lawns may not be easy. For this reason, for the design of your garden, you can request a consultation with BotanicalDryGarden, which will help you create the green space of your dreams. Click here, to learn more.