Salt-Tolerant Plants for Coastal and Seaside Gardens

title: "Salt-Tolerant Plants for Coastal and Seaside Gardens"

Coastal gardens face a specific combination of stresses that inland gardens do not: salt aerosol from the ocean, wind desiccation, sandy or gravelly soil with minimal organic matter, and in some locations, periodic tidal flooding or overwash. Plants that fail in these conditions typically fail for one of three reasons: salt ion accumulation in leaf cells that disrupts water balance, desiccation from wind in the absence of adequate soil moisture, or root asphyxiation from periodic flooding in low-lying coastal areas.

Per Rutgers NJAES, salt aerosol concentrations decrease roughly logarithmically with distance from the water: areas within 100 feet of salt water receive the highest loading, areas 300–500 feet receive intermediate levels, and areas beyond 500 feet receive relatively little direct salt spray. This gradient should drive plant selection — not a binary "coastal" or "not coastal" designation.

Table of Contents

1. Salt Damage: Mechanisms and Distance
2. Coastal Soil Types
3. Best Salt-Tolerant Perennials
4. Salt-Tolerant Trees and Shrubs
5. Plant Selection Table
6. Windbreaks and Coastal Screening
7. Common Problems
8. Frequently Asked

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