SEASHORE PLANTINGS

The misty and enchanting atmosphere of coastal landscape attract more and more people to build their homes by the seashores. New homeowners often desire a luxuriant vegetation surrounding their dwelling for protection and privacy. However, the untempered winds and ocean spray present an enormous challenge to plant life to be able to stabilize in unsettled sand. It is crucial to select suitable plants which endure the harsh environment for a successful seashore landscaping.

Plants that are able to survive in the rugged coastal environment must withstand the prevailing winds, tolerate the salt spray and be capable to set their roots into dry and porous sand. The use of native plants has become more acceptable by many contemporary gardeners and been boosted by the awareness of ecological and energy issues in coastal environment. It is a logical approach, because, native plants are the survivors that are tolerant and adapted to the specific conditions of seashores. However, some introduced species which can do well in seashore conditions should also be included for increasing the stabilization of sand dunes and the aesthetic values along the shorelines.

An understanding of coastal ecosystem is essential to be able to position proper plants at the proper places. Seashore plantings serve an important function as natural erosion stabilization for dunes and bluffs along the coastline. There are four major coastal ecosystems could be identified on Long Island shores with distinct ecological characteristics.

Belt I - A. Seashore Conditions
Areas consist of relatively flat beach and beach dune that predominate the south shore of Long Island. The beach dunes immediately flanking beaches are known as primary dunes. The most common primary foredune plants are herbaceous perennial plants that die to the ground in the fall of each year and send up new shoots from their roots in the spring. These primary foredune plants act as dune stabilizers. They slow the wind at the dune surface, causing deposition of windborne sand. During storms their root systems help hold sand in place, thereby slowing the rate of dune erosion.

Coastal Plain Ecosystem

Coastal Sound Bluff Ecosystem

Narrow beaches backed by eroding sandy bluffs characterize much of the north shore of Long Island, including parts of the north shore of the south fork. The beach bluffs flanking the narrow beaches on Long Island's North Shore are over one hundred feet high in some areas. There are many good plants including, grasses, vines, low shrubs, and minor trees that can be used for bluff-stabilization projects.

Belt II Coastal Plain Ecosystem

Areas sit behind the sand dune or the bluff. Plants usually are more protected from the dunes, bluffs, screens, or artificial structures.

Belt III Barrier Beach Ecosystem

On barrier beaches, the secondary dunes lead to a protected bay. The back of the primary dune and the protected areas of secondary dunes are characteristically vegetated in a zoned mosaic pattern. This means that microenvironment conditions favor the dominance of various plants in relatively close proximity making generalizations about this area very difficult.

Two limiting factors seem to play a key role here though:
height above sea level and exposure to salt laden seabreezes. The lower the elevation the closer the plant communities are to the water table. The dry dune areas (at higher elevations) behind the beach are very similar in many respects to a desert environment for the stationary plants found growing there. It is very hot with sand surface temperatures of 120F not uncommon. It is also very dry. Rainwater percolates very rapidly through sand and so plants must have very deep root systems to reach the water table below.

Prepared by: Caroline T. Kiang, Cooperative Extension Agent, Environmental Horticulture, Cornell Cooperative Extension - Suffolk County.

LANDSCAPE PLANTS FOR THE COASTAL ENVIRONMENT

This list is broken down into belts of exposure depending on the ecosystem of the Long Island coastal environment. The maximum water support is drip irrigation. Plants in the list with an asterisk are for the Barrier Beach Ecosystem. This, being the harshest environment, needs special attention.

(Virtually no woody plants could survive in this harsh environment.)

About this plant list: Michael Graham of Deerfield Frankenbach Nursery of Water Mill contributed all information on woody ornamental plants or some herbaceous perennials. Jim Cross of Environmentals in Cutchogue and Professor Robert Mower of Cornell University reviewed the list. Lois Davis, an avid gardener and Master Gardener of Remsenburg who designs and maintains many herbaceous perennial gardens in the Hamptons contributed information and her expertise.

Sketches were drawn by Jeanne Daniele, a Master Gardener and landscape designer of Northport. Professor Robert Mower reviewed the entire list.

Most genus produced on Long Island will do well in protected borders other than barrier beach ecosystems, or similar sites.

The above has been reproduced with the permission of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. The information contained herein is believed to be from reliable sources, but has not been verified by any employees of FairHarbor.com

Revised:01/14/04

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