England has many beautiful coastal plants. Always leave them alone, and never pick them. Not only is this good for the plants, but many provide important nesting areas for birds and wildlife, so leave them undisturbed. Also don’t walk on sand dunes, this helps prevent disturbance to both flowers and natterjack toads (and often seal mums hide their pups in sand dunes)
Keep dogs away from coastal plants, as some can be toxic. Also many grow near cliffs, and you don’t want pooch friends getting near hazardous areas. Read more on keeping dogs safe at the seaside.
Coastal plants are more than pretty flowers. They are one of the main ways to prevent coastal erosion by cementing soil in the sand dunes and near cliffs. And just like garden flowers, they play a key rol in helping pollinators to survive, by providing nectar.
The blog Meandering Wild has a lovely guide to our coastal flowers, with beautiful photographs alongside each description.
A Quick Guide to England’s Coastal Flowers
Sea Holly (related to carrots!)
Sea holly has spiky grey leaves, covered in a waxy substance to retain water. Blooming from July to September with beautiful blue flowers, you may be surprised to know that it’s more related to carrots than other plants.
The flowers look a bit like thistles, and is rare to find in north east England, and in Scotland. But elsewhere, it thrives. The flowers were even mentioned by Shakespeare, and years ago, the deep roots would be removed and be pulped and sweetened with sugar, to sell as sweets.
Fortunately, sea holly is not an endangered plant, and is frequently found on the Wirral coast, where it has become the ‘city plant’ for Liverpool. Better than abroad, where it was such a popular plant to pick, that it almost became extinct in Ther Netherlands.
Sea holly is a very important food source for butterflies and other pollinators. So leave them alone to be the food and flowers for wildlife. If you do try to pick them, the flowers will punish you with an injury, to tell you to stop!
Sea Pinks (mostly in Devon & Cornwall)
Also known as Sea Thrift, this flowers in summer, in sandy locations, cliffs and saltmarshes. It has pretty pink or sometimes white flowers, and is a valuable source of pollen for wildlife. These flowers grow abundantly in Cornwall and Devon, and are known for being very resilient, able to tolerate wind, frost and hot sun.
Spring Quill
This has purple flowers and is related to asparagus. It’s mostly found on the north and west coasts. This grows in lovely clusters of blue flowers. However never eat this plant, as unlike asparagus, it’s so toxic it could kill you!
Sea Campion
This has beautiful white flowers and silvery leaves. It’s found throughout England, mostly near cliffs and shingly beaches. It is unique in that eacha petal is split in the middle, so it looks like it has ten petals, but only has five.
Sea Beet
This is indeed the ancestor of beetroot. Often referred to as ‘wild spinach’, it has green leaves, adn grows near the coast on shingle beaches, cliffs and in saltmarshes. It’s also related to Swiss chard.
Sea Aster
Also known as sea daisies, these produce beautiful pink or purple flowers, and add vibrant colour to our coastal habitats. It can tolerate strong sea spray and salty air.
Golden Samphire
This has beautiful yellow flowers, and again is very hardy against sea spray and salty air. Habitat loss due to coastal development has made this flower endangered.
Sea Splurge
This is a green flower that is very important to prevent coastal erosion near sand dunes and salt marshes, and can even use its deep roots to bind with the same. It’s mostly found in southern England.
Sea Rocket
This has purple, pink or white flowers and again is very good to stabilise the soil, and also provides pollen for local wildlife. It’s found throughout England.
Sea Kale
This has pink and white flouwers, and is mostly found near shingle and sandy beaches.
Dune Pansy
This has white, yellow and purple flowers that pollinators adore. It tends to live alongside coastal grasses.
How Can We Protect England’s Coastal Flowers?
Protecting England’s coastal plants is mostly common sense.
- Leave flowers alone.
- Don’t walk on sand dunes.
- Don’t drop marine litter (or any litter).
This is a clear case of wild flowers and native wildlife pollinators, being left to take care of nature themselves.
Growing Coastal Flowers in England
Although mostly wild, many people in England have coastal gardens, where these flowers thrive due to high winds and salty spray.
Use no-dig gardening and fruit protection bags (over netting, which can trap birds and wildlife). Learn how to create pet-safe gardens to avoid toxic flowers (like rhododendrons which are toxic including for rabbits). Use humane slug/snail deterrents. Avoid facing indoor foliage to gardens, to help stop birds flying into windows.
RHS has an extensive list of suitable coastal plants. These can be planted successfully, but it’s best to have some form of shrubby to form windbreaks (woven willow or hazel alternatives are good). Walls or fences are not great, as they can increase turbulence. Don’t take driftwood to ‘back up plants’ as these form important ecosystems for wildlife.
- Coastal Garden Design is by an award-winning garden designer, look at the unique climates by the sea to create a classic coastal garden. From surveying and exploring shape and form, you’ll also learn about materials and features, and the best plant-combinations.
- Field Guid to Coastal Wildflowers is a good resource, which covers flowers like thrift, which thrive on the shingle beaches of the Kent coast. It covers over 600 species found in Britain, Ireland and mainland northwest Europea, including wildflowers, grasses, sedges and rushes. With stunning illustrations and over 1500 colour photos. The book also includes a natural history of coastal habitats.
- Designing & Creating a Coastal Garden offers a process used by professionals to design a beautiful and practice seaside garden. Detailed advice is given on what plants and landscape materials work best amid salt-laden winds. Includes sample plant plans.
