Plants for Coastal Areas

Exposure decides everything

Coastal gardens split into two zones, and honesty about which one you have saves years of replacements. The front line takes direct salt spray, and only genuine specialists hold it: the Coast Banksia (Banksia integrifolia) at up to 8m and lower again in exposed sites, coastal rosemary such as the 1m Zena, the prostrate she oak Cousin It spilling over walls, and the Coastal Screw Pine in frost free areas. The second line, behind a dune, fence or first row of houses, gets salty wind without the spray, and the choice opens up to olives, foxtail palms, frangipani and lilly pillies.

You can read tolerance in the leaves. Silver, waxy or needle fine foliage is salt armour; big soft glossy leaves belong behind shelter.

Coastal plants for each stretch of coastline

On tropical and subtropical coasts from Cairns to northern New South Wales, heat and humidity favour palms, frangipani and the screw pine, and wet season drainage matters as much as salt. Warm temperate coasts around Sydney and Perth have the widest choice in the range, with Perth gardens leaning harder on olives, westringia and other dry sand specialists. On southern coasts from Adelaide through Victoria the wind is colder and more constant, so the frost hardy natives, westringia, Coast Banksia, melaleuca and our wider Australian native range, do the heavy lifting.

Planting into sand and wind

Sand drains perfectly and holds nothing, so prepare for retention. Dig wide, not deep, mix compost through the backfill, mulch 75mm with something chunky enough not to blow away, and water deeply twice a week through the first summer.

• Windbreak: Coast Banksia at 3m apart.
• Low hedge: Snowstorm Melaleuca at 1m, Zena Coastal Rosemary at 600mm.
• Groundcover: Creeping Boobialla and Cousin It at 1m, Seaside Daisy at 40cm.

Stake anything over knee height loosely so it can flex, remove stakes after 12 months, and hose salt off the foliage after a big blow. That quick rinse prevents most leaf burn.

Shelter first, show second

Starting from scratch, plant the windbreak before the feature garden. A staggered row of banksia or melaleuca filters wind within two seasons, and everything in its lee establishes faster. Our windbreak plants collection covers the taller options, and the low maintenance groundcovers knit the sand together beneath them.

Common questions

What can I plant right on the beachfront?

Stick to the proven front line: westringia, Coast Banksia, Cousin It and the Coastal Screw Pine. Expect everything to finish lower and denser than its label says, because constant wind prunes harder than you ever will.

Will these plants grow away from the coast?

Usually better than at the beach. Salt tolerance travels with wind and drought tolerance, so coastal natives thrive in hot, exposed inland gardens too. Check frost tags though: the screw pine and frangipani are tender, while westringia and banksia cope well below zero.

Which groundcovers hold a sandy bank?

Creeping Boobialla knits a bank together fast at 1m spacings, Cousin It drapes walls and slopes, and Seaside Daisy fills gaps from 40cm plantings, though it self seeds freely, so keep it away from bushland edges.

When should I plant a coastal garden?

Autumn in most of the country: warm soil, gentler wind and two mild seasons before the first hard summer. In the tropics, plant at the start of the dry season.

How does delivery work?

Everything is delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and no minimum order. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.