Selecting the proper plant for the proper place is the cornerstone of profitable gardening. The tougher the atmosphere, the extra essential the correct plant part turns into. Coastal gardens are significantly difficult because of salt spray in the air, salt in the groundwater, sandy soil with poor water and nutrient holding capability, in addition to intense warmth and windy climate. With extra folks making houses alongside the Gulf Coast, it’s more and more essential that we preserve vibrant, wholesome landscapes close to the water. Lush coastal landscapes may also help scale back erosion, mitigate storm injury, present meals and habitat for wildlife, and filter water earlier than it will get to the ocean.
Whereas correct plant selection is important to a profitable coastal backyard, correct care is equally essential. Comply with these pointers when gardening close to the coast:
- Amend sandy soil with LOTS of compost at the time of planting to enhance its nutrient and water holding capability. Gypsum may additionally be added to sandy soil to enhance its nutrient holding capability with out affecting the pH.
- Water deeply with recent water to flush the collected salt from the floor layers of soil.
- Create windbreaks round the perimeter of your backyard to guard the plants inside from salt spray and drying wind. These will be dwelling hedges or buildings. If you happen to create dwelling windbreaks, make sure to use solely extremely salt tolerant plants to create the windbreak as they are going to be uncovered to giant quantities of salt spray and wind. Windbreaks are one in all the greatest methods to guard your coastal backyard.
- Keep away from excessive evaluation fertilizer which can add much more salt to your soil. Use solely low evaluation fertilizers (ones with smaller numbers for N-P-Ok) and sluggish launch fertilizer. This can even stop nutrient runoff into the ocean. Concentrate on natural fertilizer and compost. Compost will be added on high of the soil, round your plants, annually to fertilize and construct soil.
- Use raised beds to develop extra delicate flowers, herbs, and veggies. Bringing in good high quality soil will give the gardener larger management over the rising circumstances. Wood containers are pretty, however giant mounds or swales are simpler and work simply as nicely.
The next record of salt tolerant plants has been particularly created for North Florida gardeners, utilizing plants which are typically obtainable from native sources and nicely tailored to our local weather. There’s typically disagreement about simply how salt tolerant a particular plant could also be. For that cause we’ve famous “extremely salt tolerant” selections (with an asterisk) provided that they’re listed as such from quite a few dependable sources. The next choices has been compiled from many college suggestions, choose trusted nursery sources, and first hand observations of coastal planting in the Florida Panhandle.
This text was written by Jonathan Burns (Tallahassee Nurseries Out of doors Supervisor, FNGLA Florida Licensed Horticulture Skilled) utilizing info printed by the College of Florida, different Universities, trusted nursery sources, and mixed with years of private observations rising in the Tallahassee space.
* Extremely Salt Tolerant
(N) Native
(W) Notable Wildlife Worth
Bushes
Giant Rising
- Arizona Cypress
- Bald Cypress (N,W)
- *Canary Island Date Palm
- Dahoon Holly (N,W)
- Drake Elm
- Ginkgo
- Holly Hybrids: Savannah, East Palatka, Eagleston, Foster (N,W)
- Italian Cypress
- Japanese Cedar / Cryptomeria
- *Reside Oak (N,W)
- Mulberry (N,W)
- Native Persimmon (N,W)
- Native Pink Maple (N)
- *Pink Cedar (N,W)
- River Birch (N)
- *Sabal Palm (N,W)
- *Sand Reside Oak (N,W)
- *Slash Pine (N,W)
- *Southern Magnolia (N,W)
- Sugarberry (N,W)
- Sweet Bay Magnolia (N,W)
- Tulip Poplar (N,W)
- *Washington Palm aka Mexian Fan Palm
Small Rising
- Banana
- Bamboo, all species in the genus Bambusa
- Chickasaw Plum (N,W)
- Crape Myrtle
- Edible Olive (W)
- Eucalyptus
- Japanese Persimmon (W)
- Loquat (W)
- Pindo Palm (W)
- Pink Buckeye (N,W)
- *Sea Breeze Bamboo
- Vitex / Chaste Tree (W)
Shrubs and Grasses
Giant Rising (Over 6’)
- Banana Shrub
- *Bottlebrush (W)
- Camellia: most sorts & varieties
- Citrus: most varieties and roostocks
- *Fig: most edible varieties (W)
- *Big Indian Hawthorn: Rosalinda, Majestic Magnificence
- Hinoki Cypress
- Hollies: Dwarf Burford (W), Nellie R. Stevens (W), Elizabeth Coleman (W), Oakleaf (W)
- *Junipers: Blue Level, Torulosa, Hollywood, Hetzi Columnaris
- King Sago
- Ocala Anise (N)
- *Pampas Grass
- Pineapple Guava (W)
- *Pittosporum: Inexperienced, Variegated
- Podocarpus (W)
- Rose of Sharon / Althea (W)
- Sunshine Ligustrum
- Tea Olive
- Viburnum: Sweet, Spring Bouquet, Walter’s (N,W), Arrowwood (N,W), Rusty Black Haw (N,W)
- Wax Leaf Ligustrum
- *Wax Myrtle (N,W)
- *Weeping Yaupon Holly (N,W)
- Windmill Palm
- *Yaupon Holly (N,W)
Compact Rising (Below 6’)
- Abelia: Rose Creek (W), Canyon Creek (W), Hopley, Kaleidoscope
- *Agave (N,W)
- Aucuba
- Azalea indica: Formosa, George Taber, GG Gerbing, Southern Appeal, Pink Formosa
- Bambina Compact Pineapple Guava
- Magnificence Berry (N,W)
- Boxwood
- Butterfly Bush / Buddleia (W)
- Camellia: Shi Shi Gashira and different compact varieties
- Solid Iron
- Clethra / Summersweet (N,W)
- *Coontie (N)
- Dwarf Hinoki Cypress
- Dwarf Japanese Cedar / Cryptomeria
- Dwarf Podocarpus
- Dwarf Palmetto (N,W)
- Dwarf Yaupon (N)
- Fakahatchee Grass (N,W)
- Fatsia
- Florida Anise (N,W)
- Fountain Grass / Pennisetum
- Gardenia
- *Harland Boxwood
- Hesperaloe (W)
- Hollies: Carissa, Chinese language Holly (W)
- Hydrangea: basic mophead varieties
- *Indian Hawthorn: Eleanor Taber, Spring Sonata
- Lemongrass
- *Lomandra Grass: Breeze, Katrinus, Platinum Magnificence, Tropic Belle
- Miscanthus Grass: Adagio
- *Muhly Grass (N,W)
- Needle Palm (N,W)
- *Pittosporum: Compact, Mojo
- *Prickly Pear
- Roses: most sorts
- *Rosemary
- *Sand Cordgrass (N)
- *Noticed Palmetto (N,W)
- Selloum Philodendron
- Switchgrass / Panicum (N,W)
- Umbrella Palm / Cyperus
- Viburnum: Mrs Schiller’s Delight (N,W)
- Yesterday At present & Tomorrow Plant / Brunfelsia
- *Yucca: Shade Guard, Magenta Magic (N,W), Blue Sentry, Filamentosa (N,W)
Flowers and Shade
Heat Season Curiosity
- African Iris
- Agapanthus
- Agastache (W)
- Ageratum (N,W)
- Alternanthera
- Allamanda
- *Aloe
- Amaryllis
- Angel’s Trumpet / Brugmansia
- Artemisia
- Baptisia (N, W)
- *Blue Daze
- *Bougainvillea
- Bulbine
- *Bush Daisy
- Butterfly Ginger / Hedychium (W)
- *Cape Honeysuckle (W)
- *Canna Lily
- Celosia
- Cigar Plant (W)
- *Coleus
- Coral Bean (N,W)
- *Coreopsis (N,W)
- Cosmos
- Crinum: most species and varieties
- *Daylily
- *Dune Sunflower (N,W)
- Duranta (W)
- Euphorbia
- Firebush (N,W)
- Firecracker / Russelia (W)
- Flax Lily / Dianella
- *Gaillardia (N,W)
- Gazania
- *Geranium
- Gerber Daisy
- Gomphrena
- *Gaura / Whirling Butterflies (W)
- Hibiscus: most annual and perennial varieties (W), together with native species (N, W)
- *Impatiens: Sunpatiens, New Guinea, Imara Sequence, Beacon Sequence
- Ixora
- *Lantana (W)
- Louisiana Iris (N)
- Mandevilla
- *Marigold
- Mexican Heather (W)
- Milkweed / Asclepias (~N,W)
- Mint: most sorts
- Nicotiana
- Oyster Plant
- Passionvine (N,W)
- Penta (W)
- *Petunia
- Pinecone Ginger
- Plumbago (W)
- *Purslane & Portulaca
- Pink Sizzling Poker (W)
- Rudbeckia / Black-eyed Susan (N,W)
- Ruellia
- Russian Sage
- *Salvia: most perennial and annual species and varieties (W)
- Setcreasea / Purple Queen
- Sedum & Succulents
- Shell Ginger
- Shrimp Plant (W)
- Spider Lily / Hemerocallis (N)
- Squash: most edible varieties
- *Society Garlic
- Thyme
- Thryallis
- Tibouchina
- Turk’s Cap (W)
- *Verbena
- *Wax Begonia
- *Vinca
- Yarrow (W)
- *Zinnia (W)
Cool Season Curiosity
- Alyssum
- *Cabbage: edible and decorative varieties
- Calendula
- *Dianthus
- *Dusty Miller
- *Kale: edible and decorative varieties
- Lobelia
- *Snapdragon
Groundcovers & Vines
- *Asiatic Jasmine
- Carolina Jessamine (N)
- *Accomplice Jasmine
- Coral Honeysuckle (N,W)
- *Creeping Fig
- *Dwarf Mondo Grass
- Foxtail Fern
- Holly Fern
- *Junipers: Blue Paciifc, Golden Pacific, Parsonii, Dwarf Japanese, Gray Owl
- *Liriope
- *Mondo Grass
- Native Wisteria (N)
- *Perennial Peanut
- *Sunshine Mimosa (N,W)
- Trumpet Creeper (N,W)
We are going to carry over 90% of those plants in some unspecified time in the future in a calendar 12 months. For particular plant capability, give us a name at 850-385-2162 or ship us an electronic mail through our contact type HERE
