Coastal gardens can often be challenging, with strong, salt-laden winds and perhaps very light and sandy soils. This fairly small coastal garden in Eastern Scotland is currently an under-used space, an area of grass south of a coastal cottage, with a coastal path running along low, craggy cliffs on its southern side.
The Typical Challenges of Coastal Gardens
The client had previously tried growing some food in a raised bed, but struggled with the wind. The fencing around the whole of the space is old, and has fallen down several times in strong winds. As in many coastal gardens, salt and wind-exposure are key concerns.
The clients were keen to grow some food but did not want to spend too much time on it, and mostly just want a space that they can enjoy spending time in when the weather is fine, that would reflect the coastal location and stand up to weather extremes.
The design aims to respond to the exposed coastal conditions while also taking the needs and preferences of the client into account.
Hardy and tough shrubs along the boundaries of the space serve as a partial wind break without obstructing the best views from the property. The hedge is to be kept quite short, balancing the need for more shelter with the desire to retain the stunning sea views to the south.
A Coastal Foraging Garden Design
The design aims to embody a coastal style suited to the location, and incorporates a range of plants found along this coastline, including many that are of great interest to coastal foragers.
While what the garden looks like is important to the client, and aesthetics have been considered, many of the plants in this design have been chosen for their edible yields. This is a garden centred around the concept of coastal foraging.
This garden seeks to bring together in aesthetically-pleasing ways some of the many native or naturalised edible wild plants from this coastline, in a low-maintenance perennial edimental planting scheme.
If you are struggling to overcome the challenges in your own coastal garden, please do get in touch to discuss how I can help.
EWSP Consultancy 