Seaside & Seashore Gardening

Flower & Garden Magazine, July, 2000 by Gretchen F. Coyle

* DUNE GRASS

The planting of American dune grass (Ammophilia breviligulata) is becoming a late fall ritual practiced by many environmentally-concerned citizens along New Jersey barrier islands. Dune grass is planted directly into the sand dunes to keep them stabilized. The roots (actually stems) of the beach grass grow horizontally underground and spread, helping to prevent erosion. Most municipalities provide this grass free of charge to waterfront homeowners and groups (such as Boy Scouts) who push the "plugs" directly in the sand in small bunches about ten inches apart, hoping for a mild winter without too much wind or battering waves so the grass will become established.

* SEASIDE VINES

Native vines grow naturally in the sand. Three of my favorites are honeysuckle (Lonicera genus), trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) and bittersweet (Selastrus scandens). The honeysuckle, with flowers of white or red, emits a wonderful fragrance and grows to about eight feet in two years. The trumpet vine rewards us with magnificent orange-red flowers, seems almost impervious to storms and can be planted directly into the sand. Bittersweet, while not necessarily a seashore native, also does well planted directly in the sand. Its white flowers in the spring, followed in the fall by yellow berries with cracked red centers, are a lovely touch to a dried flower arrangement. These three vines do very well in full sun and are captured beautifully on a trellis or along a fence for all to admire.

* LIVING ON SAND

Living on a barrier island can cause problems for an unsuspecting gardener who is used to rich soil and a less harsh climate. However, enthusiastic seashore gardeners soon adapt, finding that being surrounded by sand and water is all part of the beauty that engulfs us.

Tough perennials that are salt-,wind-, and sand-tolerant are the answer here. Planting directly into the sand with colorful native foliage is key to both flourishing sand dunes and almost maintenance-free gardens. Colloquialisms exist in plant names just as they do in everyday conversation. Every area has familiar names for certain common plants and shrubs, ones that have been handed down from generation to generation in their particular locale. It is important to purchase seashore natives from knowledgeable garden centers or catalogs that deal specifically with these types of plants.

Spreading foliage and roots are the threads that hold the dunes together. Sand dunes, once diminished in quantity and size, are now recognized as a major protection source of the shoreline.

Gretchen Coyle, a freelance writer, photographer and lecturer, lives in Long Beach Island, Nd, with her husband on their "Little Beach Farm," and winters in Useppa Island, FL.