In a coastal garden a very early decision must be if you wish to erect some form of windbreak to create a more pleasant, calm micro-climate or to keep a more open and exposed garden. Breaking Wind By planting a mixture of trees in shrubs in a line perpendicular to the direction of the most damaging and prevailing winds (almost always SW) you can make a tremendous difference, Aside from not being blown over in the winter when you go outside it also it also vastly increases the range of plants available to you. Due to your proximity to the sea there is a naturally mild climate, with both lower highs and higher lows of temperature. A sheltered coastal garden can be stuffed your full of frost tender plants which before planting shelter would have unable to take the salty winds or the colder winters of an inland garden. Unfortunately there is no such thing as an instant living windbreak, it may take many years for a large windbreak to reach an effective size, so until it is ready you must either wait or garden in a style more suited to exposure to the wind. The use of artificial windbreak materials are useful for speeding establishment of young plants in a windbreak but are no substitute in exposed sites in the long term. If you have room on your site a good depth to your windbreak or shelter belt then the use, as the famous gardener Tony Schilling put it, of 'Christians-to-the-Lions' is invaluable, stick quick growing, and very tough large shrubs out front, like Olearia lineata 'Dartonii' to soak-up the worst of the damage until the main windbreak behind can get started and then you can take them out or keep them if you want. Windbreaks can range from broad and deep mixed tree and shrub shelter belts to simple single row of shrubs hedges, have a look at our Windbreaks and Hedges page for info on how best to plan and plant the right one for you.

Pah! Shelter Is For Wimps A major drawback of a windbreak is that it places itself between you and the wind, and the direction the wind is coming from is probably also the direction that you have that lovely view out to the sea from. Without extra shelter from salt winds the range of plants growable in a coastal garden is far smaller. However, not every site is exposed as Village Bay on St Kilda, you may not need much shelter to grow all sorts of things. Even with no shelter planting there are still lots of lovely plants you can grow. Judicious use of a few tough larger shrubs , short walls, and land form can give you small pockets of shelter to experiment with more delicate subjects.