Spring 2010 Cornish Gardener 3
Coastal gardening
C
ORNWALL has a long and varied coastline; ranging from the wild Atlantic to the softer and calmer channel side with its tiny coves and pretty bays. Both sides, however, are subject to the vagaries of the weather all year round despite the county’s mild climate. For gardeners this can represent a challenge, because coastal gardening has its own problems. There might be little or, in some years, no frost, but salty sharp winds can do just as much damage. Plants have to be chosen carefully, with the understanding that they might quickly perish. It will be a case of plant it and see if it survives. The bonus is that along the coast of many parts of Cornwall exotic species will survive and flourish, although some may need winter protection in some years. To give a few ideas of what does well near the coast, and how to ensure that your coastal garden succeeds, here are a few expert tips.
S
imon Berriman, a landscape gardener, has been looking after
the grounds at Fort Picklecombe on the edge of Plymouth Sound for many years.
The Napoleonic fort, now luxury apartments, gets the full brunt of gales and although the building protects the garden behind it to some
HEADLAND Garden in Polruan, beautiful and productive despite being in the teeth of many a gale all year round
degree, the salt laden winds still cannon around destroying much in their path. After the fort was renovated the garden was created out of a fairly barren site. An Italian terraced garden is interwoven with rocky paths curving around beds, borders and walls. View the garden on a quiet sunny day and it looks Mediterranean. View it on a windy day and it’s a different story.
‘When a gale is coming straight off the sea it comes over the top of the building then whirls around the garden and you are surprised to find
ECHIUM and globe artichokes vying to beat each other in a garden near Marazion. Both enjoy coastal positions
it hitting you from behind,’ says Simon. His answer is to choose the right plants and to provide shelter belts, either walls, fences or plants because this sort of wind is the enemy. It can scorch the leaves off even the toughest tree. So wind protection is essential and Simon recommends plants such as Sea buckthorn, Berberis, especially the deep darek red leaves ones, Escallonia, Tamarisk, Pines such as the Monterey pine, Olearia fragrans, hawthorn and blackthorn. Buddleia davidii does well, so do some of the small leaved hebes, although not the more tender large leaved ones. All these make good barrier hedges because the wind will go through them but not batter them down. Coastal gardens can also suffer from poor soil and at the fort the planting has to be done by hacking out holes and filling with compost. Most herbs do very well on the coast, especially Rosemary and the many members of the thyme family, as do members of the sedum family and a lot of succulents. Sun loving plants in summer include most of the annuals and they bloom long into autumn without fear of frost. The New Zealand phormiums
are also ideal for the coast, although Cornish palms may fall victim to a particularly savage frost and need protection in winter.
B
ut the usefulness of wind breaks must never be forgotten.
Simon’s advice is to buy small plants and give them plenty of protection when they are young, with fleece if necessary. Feed them well in their first years and they should provide a sturdy barrier to filter the harsh winds. Further along the coast is Headland Garden, Polruan. Set right on the corner of the entrance to Fowey harbour this garden is a miracle of man and woman overcoming the forces of nature.
See page 5 for more
SIMON Berriman, who battles the forces of nature in an exposed coastal garden
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