Manor Nurseries

Down on the beach

Many of our customers at Manor Nursery live right down by the sea ... Worthing, Goring, Ferring, East Preston, Littlehampton, Climping ... and beyond in both directions! We have done our best to stock an interesting range of plants which will flourish in salty seaside conditions.

Tips for seaside planting

The milder temperatures and higher humidity of the seaside can provide an exceptionally favourable climate for tender tropicals to flourish. But it can all go horribly wrong when the winter winds lash the coastline, leaving everything encrusted in a thick layer of salt.

When choosing plants for a seaside garden, it's a good idea to have a look at what grows well in neighboring gardens. Enjoy a day out! Take a walk down your nearest seafront promenade to see what they've planted. Worthing has created an innovative seaside garden right there on the beach. Eastbourne has also been quite flamboyant with their promenade planting scheme. I hope some of you managed to see the airplane made from Sempervivums and Sedums to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain ... it was done by Janet over at Freshacres, our main wholesale nursery ...

Some form of netting or fencing is helpful, for protection against salt winds. The most effective form of screening is one which filters the wind, rather than blocking it out completely. Plant some of the really tough plants as a first line of defence, then you may well be successful with some of the less resistant plants behind that.

Plants for the seaside!

As a general guide, the toughest plants for seaside screening are those with flexible stems that bend with the wind, and those with small, leathery leaves. In our area, what do you see most? Tamarix and Macrocarpas ... in Eastbourne they've used Euonymus japonicus.

Trees -

Arbutus, Chamaecyparis, Cupressocyparis (Macrocarpas), Pinus, Trachycarpus

Shrubs -

Atriplex, Baccharis, Berberis darwinii, Brachyglottis, Buddleja, Bupleurum, Caryopteris, Cistus, Corokia, Cotoneaster, Cytisus, Eleagnus, Escallonia, Euonymus, Fabiana, Fuchsia magellanica, Fuchsia 'Riccartonii', Garrya, Genista, Griselinia, Heathers, Halimium, Hebe, Helianthemum, Helichrysum, Hippophae, Hydrangea macrophylla cultivars, Ilex aquifolium cultivars, Lavandula, Ligustrum, Lonicera nitida, Lonicera pileata, Lycium, Olearia, Ozothamnus, Parahebe, Phlomis, Phillyrea, Pittosporum, Potentilla, Prunus spinosa, Pyracantha, Rhamnus, Rosa rugosa, Rosmarinus, Santolina, Spartium, Spiraea, Tamarix, Ulex (Gorse), Viburnum (evergreen), Yucca

Perennials -

Achillea, Agapanthus, Anaphalis, Anthemis, Argyranthemum, Armeria, Artemesia, Aubretia, Centaurea, Convolvulus, Dianthus, Eryngium, Euphorbia, Geranium, Gypsophila, Iberis, Limonium, Linaria, Linum, Nepeta, Papaver, Penstemon, Phlomis, Phormium, Sedum, Sempervivum, Senecio, Stachys, Veronica

Pics and Links -

Click on Plants for the Seaside to see some!