How to Design a Coast-Loving Garden That Lasts
Good looks and longevity go hand in hand with these plants, materials and colors to make your coastal landscape easy-breezy
Australia's splendid coastline means there is no shortage of people wanting to establish their ideal home and garden with a view. The natural coastline is rugged and windswept, with a definite color palette. It is rarely green and lush — more often a complex but complementary mixture of foliage colors, including grays and blues with dusty greens and the warmer hues of the earth, set against the backdrop of the Pacific.
Construction materials like split stones for walls and floors add texture and color variation to mimic the rugged landscape. Weathered hardwood for pergola structures, decks and fence details reinforce the sense of place and the presence of driftwood. Furniture can be easily incorporated with earthy fabrics and timber that is allowed to weather, requiring minimal care. Features or sculptures in steel finishes, particularly the rusted appeal of Cor-Ten steel, complete the look. Generally, the more weather beaten, the better.
Fine-leaved plants like Westringia fruticosa and Banksia spinulosa, or ornamental grasses like Lomandra tanika and Dianella caerulea ‘Little Jess' will mix well with tough succulent-like ground covers such as Senecio serpens and Carpobrotus glaucescens. For trees, it is hard to beat Banksia integrifolia, but olive trees would be a great substitute, lending their silvery hue to the garden.
This combination of dusty-colored plants mixed with succulents creates a look that is very dry, coastal and modern.
Construction materials like split stones for walls and floors add texture and color variation to mimic the rugged landscape. Weathered hardwood for pergola structures, decks and fence details reinforce the sense of place and the presence of driftwood. Furniture can be easily incorporated with earthy fabrics and timber that is allowed to weather, requiring minimal care. Features or sculptures in steel finishes, particularly the rusted appeal of Cor-Ten steel, complete the look. Generally, the more weather beaten, the better.
Fine-leaved plants like Westringia fruticosa and Banksia spinulosa, or ornamental grasses like Lomandra tanika and Dianella caerulea ‘Little Jess' will mix well with tough succulent-like ground covers such as Senecio serpens and Carpobrotus glaucescens. For trees, it is hard to beat Banksia integrifolia, but olive trees would be a great substitute, lending their silvery hue to the garden.
This combination of dusty-colored plants mixed with succulents creates a look that is very dry, coastal and modern.
Ornamental grasses like Lomandra 'Tanika' provide drama in a garden when they sway in the wind.
Senecio serpens adds a great color tone to a green garden. The shapes of the plant add interest to a garden space.
The backdrop of weathered timber fencing for coastal plantings builds a dramatic coastal feel.
Olive trees frame the entrance to this house. They are a hardy tree able to manage most conditions, and the glaucous and gray tones add contrast to other plants.
Silver foliage — whether in an olive tree, a ground cover or a grass — is an essential inclusion in any coastal garden.
6 Stunning Silver-Leaf Plants
6 Stunning Silver-Leaf Plants
Plants can be aranged to give a dry-creekbed appearance, highlighting arid coastal conditions.