Gardening by the sea is a fight with the wind, and the wind carries salt. Leaves scorch, pots blow over and anything soft is gone by January.
“Grey leaves, small leaves, hairy leaves,” said Lucía Penn, who has run Seawall Nursery for 20 years. “If a plant looks like it belongs on a cliff, it will be fine on your balcony.”
For pots and balconies
Succulents such as sedum and sempervivum, lavender, rosemary, thyme and sea thrift, which flowers pink in spring and asks for nothing.
For borders
Sea holly, euphorbia, the grass Stipa tenuissima and hardy fuchsia, which shrugs off salt and flowers until the first frost.
For a windbreak
Escallonia, sea buckthorn and tamarisk. Plant a hedge first, Penn says, and the rest of the garden will thank you for it.
