Gardening in Lytham St Annes | Recommended Plants | Local Events
Gardening in Lytham St Annes
Gardening by the coast can be a challenging affair, if your garden directly faces the sea, perhaps overlooking the windmill or the sand dunes in Saint Anne’s then lucky you!, however, a successful garden often relies upon the amount of shelter that can be provided from the prevailing winds and the proximity to the sea. Salt burn from winds can be damaging to plants particularly evergreens and conifers, choosing the right plant is crucial for a seaside garden.
Many of the plants that grow successfully by the coast need to be tough and resilient, nevertheless , the proximity to the sea reduces the incidence of hard frosts, and light levels and humidity are often higher than inland, making it possible to grow more tender exotic plants.
Despite being close to the coast not all of the gardens in Lytham and St Anne’s have sandy soils. In fact a large number of gardens in Lytham actually have heavy clay soil, particularly around Ballam Road. Many Lytham gardens are also subject to a high water table which means for a large part of the year the garden is drenched in water, combine that with poor draining clayey soil and you have a bog garden! These conditions need careful thought and planning
Builders rubble can be problematic for gardens, as it creates soil alkalinity and stony soil low in nutrients, new build properties may have a high proportion of rubble in the soil, for example Lytham Quays properties are newly built and are also exposed to salty/sandy wind, gardening in such exposed sites requires careful plant selection to create a successful garden.
Coastal sandy soils can create beautiful interesting gardens, but need special attention and annual feeding, choosing the right plant groups will result in a more fruitful garden without the trouble of the trial and error process, as many of the plants that succeed in a coastal garden have special adaptations that enable them to withstand the worst effects of wind and salt spray.
Garden Doctor specialises in planting for difficult sites, exposed coastal gardens or problem areas of an existing garden, contact us for a no obligation garden assessment.
Recommended plants
Trees tolerant to full coastal exposure
Alnus glutinosa (common elder) - deciduous, conical, Height 20m, Size 8m
Crataegus x persimilis ‘Prunifolia’ (Hawthorn) – deciduous, Height 8m, Size 10m
Populus alba (white poplar) – deciduous, Height 20-40m Size 25m
Tree & shrubs tolerant but need shelter
Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine 0 – Height 15-30m, Size 6-9m
Sorbus aucuparia (rowan) – deciduous, Height 15m – Size 7m
Tamarix (tamarisk) M/L
Elaeagnus x ebbingei M/L
Griselinia littoralis M/L
Fuchsia ‘Riccartonii’ M/L (milder areas only)
Rosa rugosa M/L
Hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) M/L
Escallonia ‘Donard Seedling’ M/L
Perennial plants suitable for coastal conditions
Crocosmia ’Emily McKenzie’- lance shaped leaves, orange flowers in summer, not fully hardy, Height 60cm (24in) Size 8cm (3in)
Crambe cordifolia AGM – large dark green leaves, white flowers in summer, Height 2.5m (8ft), Size 1.5m (5ft)
Crinum x powellii AGM – arching leaves, large pink flowers in late summer, not fully hardy, Height 1.5m (5ft), Size 30cm (12in)
Eryngium variifolium (sea holly) – spiny leaves, grey blue flowers in summer, Height 30-40cm (12-16in), Size 25cm (10in)
Sedum telephium – grey-green leaves, pink flowers in late autumn, Height 60cm (24in),
Size 30cm (12in)
Stachys byzantina (lamb’s ears) – evergreen, white-woolly foliage, pink-purple flowers in summer, H 45cm (18in), 60cm (24in)
Local Events
Recently garden doctor was asked to design and supervise the planting of Lytham library garden working with Lytham in Bloom and the Rotary club.
Garden Doctor was delighted to help out with Lytham in Bloom and will continue to maintain the garden.
Natasha donated all the bedding plants for the garden and is planning to plant spring flowering bulbs at the end of the year,
if you would like to help out in the garden let us know!
Click to read more information about the project
18th of July Plant Fair at Lytham Hall - Flower Power plant fairs,
An opportunity to buy direct from the grower, get advice from nurserymen and women and maybe pick up some unusual and interesting plants.
For more information please click on the links below.
