The garden of this Dublin Bay home was inspired by its coastal surroundings
As coastal dwellers know only too well, creating and maintaining a garden can be a challenge. Eoin Gibbons, The Constant Gardener, designed the garden of this home that features in the autumn/winter 2024 issue of IMAGE Interiors, and he has lots of advice for tackling seaside sites.
Eoin Gibbons, aka The Constant Gardener, who is responsible for the relaxed garden at the Dublin Bay bungalow featured in the autumn/winter issue of IMAGE Interiors, is well-acquainted with the wind, sea and salt that such spaces bring.
Freshly planted in July of this year, and photographed a few weeks later, this garden should take at least two years to bed in and mature, but is already impactful.
Misconceptions around coastal gardening come in two guises, Eoin says. “Many homeowners assume that they can plant the same range of plants that you would use in an inland or sheltered garden. On the flip side, people can be too cautious. For example, they erect fencing or plant hedges to break or filter the wind but in doing so, they obscure a great view out to sea.”
In coastal areas, salt-laden winds can burn the foliage of plants, and gardens will generally have sandy soil, so it will lack nutrients and not retain moisture. Eoin advises to follow the doctrine “right plant, right place”, and to give up the fight.
“Don’t try to garden against your immediate environment and conditions; you won’t win the fight against nature. If necessary, plant a shelterbelt of hedging, or better yet, ornamental grasses or even trees to filter the wind, but be careful not to obscure a beautiful view.”
Coastal case study
In the case of this bungalow garden, inspiration came from the immediate environment, specifically twenty metres from the front gate. “The house is situated adjacent to a rocky beach. Large, rounded boulders and pebbles of varying sizes are a big feature as well as various grasses, and of course, a brilliant view across to Dublin Bay.”
As the homeowners go sea swimming, small boat sailing and kayaking across the road, the main idea was to continue the shoreline from the beach right up to their front door. “I wanted the garden to be completely of its place as much as possible.”
This meant mimicking the planting found on the beach as much as they could. “We planted Stipa tenuissima to pick up on the grass banks leading to the beach, and we used Armeria maritima as ground cover, as this hardy plant is found growing naturally along the shoreline.”
Large boulders sourced from wesellstone.com closely match those found along the beach. “They are called water-worn limestone Burren boulders, and were sourced from land reclamation carried out on farmland on Ireland’s west coast,” Eoin explains.
“These particular boulders were left on the headlands of fields for the last 60 years. They have beautiful forms and markings and were an integral feature of the overall design.”
Stone mulch covers the beds instead of bark, as the clients said they will generally take the quickest and shortest routes through the garden, even if that means walking through flower beds. Eoin also left space between groupings of plants to create informal pathways.
Drought, draughts and drainage
When it comes to planting, Eoin says any drought resistant planting will work well, as it is suited to its immediate environment, again returning back to Beth Chatto’s maxim “right plant, right place”.
“I find ornamental grasses work well as they mimic Marram grass found in sand dunes. Taller ornamental grasses work great as a possible substitute for a hedge; they provide more year-round interest with their varying forms of seed heads, and introduce movement in the garden when the wind picks up.”
Specifically, Eoin names Calamagrostis, Panicum and Miscanthus as species that do well. “We used Armeria maritima, Erigeron karvinskianus, Eryngium ‘Big Blue’, Achillea ‘Terracotta’ and English lavender in particular in this garden, as they can put up with the sometimes harsh conditions along our coast.”
When it comes to designing for wind, as well as shelter belts of ornamental grasses and boulders, Eoin recommends grading the soil on-site to create mounds and berms planted with grasses. As well as providing protection for seating areas and filtering the wind across the site, it also has the added benefit of picking up on the shape and look of sand dunes.
Native Irish trees that do well in coastal gardens, include Hawthorn, Scots Pine and Arbutus Unedo, says Eoin. He recommends not staking the trees at planting time and allowing the prevailing wind to shape them.
“Some of the most beautiful trees along our coasts are growing at 45-degree angles due to the strong winds. Multi-stem trees are also better at putting up with wind in my experience.”
Though all coastal gardens will share similar characteristics, like wind and free-draining soil, other factors, like temperature and rainfall amount will all vary depending on which side of the country you’re on.
Observing and understanding your surroundings is key. “The planting and feel of a coastal garden should really reflect the local flora and fauna unique to its immediate environment, if you are to create a garden of its place, in my opinion,” Eoin says.
When it comes to maintenance, mulching coastal beds to prevent moisture loss is key, as is weeding. “A coastal garden by its very nature will have strong winds affecting it, but these winds will carry plant seeds also. Some wanted, and some unwanted seeds, will germinate more prolifically in a coastal garden.”
For beginners in a coastal garden, Eoin says to take your time. “Loads of mistakes are made from rushing into the planting of a garden. It takes a good year or two to know your site and be sure of how you want to use it.”
He also advises getting the structural elements correct first, paying special attention to the placement of trees, paths, and seating areas. Then start planting.
“Plant young specimens to start out with. They are cheaper to buy and quicker and easier to plant. If they fail in the first couple of years, then you haven’t lost a lot of money. I find the younger specimens of trees and hedging are hungrier to get growing and will catch up with a more mature specimen planted within the first four to five years.”
Photography: Ruth Maria Murphy
To see more of this Dublin Bay home, pick up the autumn/winter issue of IMAGE Interiors, on shelves now, or click here to buy online.
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