Backyard ideas for the coast that survive the climate
Salt air, sandy soil, wind off the water, humid summers and cold winters. Anything that survives the spray and the sand is worth planting; the light makes everything look good.
The styles that fit the coast
Coastal beach is the native style — beach grass, bayberry, shell paths, grey cedar. Cottage borders of roses, hydrangea and lavender are the Cape Cod and Hamptons standard. A pollinator meadow of seaside goldenrod and switchgrass takes the wind better than any lawn.
Plants that thrive in the coast
- American beach grass, switchgrass, sea oats
- Bayberry, beach plum, rugosa rose, shore juniper
- Hydrangea (the blue is from the acid, sandy soil), lavender, roses
- Seaside goldenrod, coneflower, asters
- Eastern red cedar and pitch pine as windbreaks
The moves that matter here
- Plant a bayberry or rugosa hedge on the windward side first.
- Swap the lawn for crushed shell with grasses and thyme.
- Mass blue hydrangeas against the house for the classic look.
- Build the deck and fence in cedar and let it silver.
What locals learn the hard way
Salt-tender plants within reach of the spray, fertiliser-hungry lawn on sand, and fences that fight the wind instead of filtering it.
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