Cape Town - High winds, salt-laden sea spray, sloping sites, poor soil and hot dry summers can wreak havoc in gardens situated on the coast.
And that’s why the design, planning and planting of these gardens needs extra special care in order to create a beautiful outdoor space.
Passionate coastal gardeners will find the answers to all these challenges in a new book, Coastal Gardening in South Africa, written by horticulturist Allan Haschick. Based at Floradale Nurseries in Port Elizabeth, Haschick is a coastal gardening expert who has written hundreds of magazine columns on how to create a magnificent garden along South Africa’s Cape coastline.
In a thoroughly researched book, Haschick offers tips on gardening along the entire coast of South Africa, from the West Coast through to tropical KwaZulu-Natal. The first half of the book gives comprehensive advice on how to deal with every possible coastal adversity, and the many photographs illustrate solutions and provide inspiration.
In the second half of the book, Haschick examines the plants that thrive best at the coast, and also gives lists of plants to use for various purposes – for example, to use as windbreaks, to give colour, or to provide strong focal points. There is also a chapter on what to do each month in the garden to keep it looking its best.
So what advice does Haschick have for local gardeners?
“Always examine the micro-climates in your garden,” he says. “While windy conditions may prevail in one part of the garden, there may be a section that is actually quite sheltered, for example, by the house. This allows for a greater range of plants in the garden.”
Do you have a coastal garden? Follow Haschick’s advice for your garden:
Windbreaks
The first priority is to create a windbreak. Once this is established, you can choose from a greater range of plants in the sheltered side of the garden. A windbreak can be constructed or consist of small trees and shrubs. A combination of both can be used.
As well as reducing wind in the garden, a windbreak protects it to some extent from salty sea spray. However, take into account your prized view of the sea before you start planting, and make a plan to keep it.
Fast-growing indigenous shrubs that make an excellent windbreak include the bush tick berry (Chrysanthemoides monolifera), blombos (Melalasia muricata) and dune crowberry (Searsia crenata). They all reach 2m, are salt-tolerant, easy to prune and train, and look good all year round.
Soil
Coastal homes tend to have sandy soil. Such soil has little nutrient value and water drains quickly through the sand, instead of being “held” around the roots of plants.
The best way to improve sandy soil is to put plenty of compost in planting holes and when preparing a border. Also add water-retaining granules. Regularly applying a thick layer of organic mulch helps to maintain soil texture and slows down water evaporation from the soil during the hot, dry season.
While most plants prefer a loamy nutrient-rich soil, remember that indigenous plants tolerate sandy soil conditions. For fast-growing groundcover, plant sour fig (Carpobrothus spp.), trailing osteospermum (Osteospermum fruticosum) and carpet geranium (Geranium incanum).
Suitable shrubs include pink mallow (Anisodontea scabiosa), white confetti bush (Coleonema album), polygala (Polygala myrtifolia), beach salvia (Salvia africana-lutea) and waterberry (Syzygium cordatum).
Slopes
Many coastal homes are on sloping sites which makes gardening a nightmare.
With a very steep property, retaining walls and terracing is necessary. With less steep slopes a rockery is a possible solution.
Mild slopes can be planted up using groundcovers and shrubs that have spreading root systems that help bind and hold the soil. Plectranthus species (Plectranthus madagascariensis and P. verticulatus) make excellent groundcovers.
Sculptural plants will add interest to the planting.
Consider the dune aloe (Aloe thraskii), Uitenhage aloe (A. africana) and bitter aloe (A. ferox), as well as various restios (Thamnochortus pellucidus, T. insignis, Elegia tectorum, Restio subverticellatus).
Waterwise plants
The hot, dry summers are a test of endurance for any garden, let alone coastal properties.
It makes sense to choose plants that are climate-appropriate.
Choose either local indigenous plants or plants from the Mediterranean area.
They include the following colourful shrubs and perennials: protea, pincushion, euryops daisy, lion’s ear, lavender, Pride-of Madeira, statice, pelargonium, Indian hawthorn, rosemary, Cape honeysuckle, agapanthus, arctotis and rock rose (Cistus spp.).
* Coastal Gardening in South Africa, by Allan Haschick. Published by Struik Lifestyle, 2014. ISBN 9781432301675. Available in local bookstores. Contact Kim Taylor on 021 460 5400 or e.mail [email protected]
Kay Montgomery, Weekend Argus