Herbaceous flowers, ground cover and architectural plants that will tolerate exposed coastal planting

Below is a mixed listing of wind hardy salt tolerant compact herbaceous flowering plants and tough spiky foliage evergreens, or architectural plants as we like to call them. The advantage most (but not all) herbaceous plants have in coastal planting is that they will die back each autumn and can sit out much of the winter storm damage.

Many of these plants are low growing while also have thick waxy leaves that reduce moisture loss, having an ability which is further improved by fine grey hairs which lock in leaf moisture and give the leaf a silvery appreance. Some plants have spiky foliage that the wind can whip around. Many simply hug the ground producing low mats of moisture efficient ground cover.

As with all other herbaceous plants you will need to put some time into mulching around plants after planting with compost to improve soil fertility as well as lock in soil moisture and keep back weed growth. Mulching is especially useful on often dry and sandy coastal soils as they tend to be nutrient poor and free draining; the role of the compost is to overcome some of the worst effects of dry coastal soils.

Many of these plants will also require lifting and dividing to encourage rejuvenated growth and flowering and stacking will be especially important to stop taller wind exposed plants from collapsing in stiff sea breezes.