Seascape Gardening: From New England to the Carolinas

Anne Halpin's Seascape Gardening From New England To The Carolinas may not reach the West coast but East Coast residents will find this a fine guide to the shrubs and landscaping choices which enhance an Atlantic environment. The seaside residence offers special gardening challenges: salt and coastal conditions affect plant choices and growing conditions. Halpin here explains these conditions and how to best work with them.

I bought this beautiful book for my mum-in-law, who has a place on the seacoast of Maine. She's an artist and loved the book, especially the photographs and illustrations. The book will adorn her coffee table in Maine and give her new landscaping ideas.

I don't live by the sea and have never gardened there but I received this book as a galley and I enjoyed it very much. Seaside gardeners have a lot of challenges including salt spray from the ocean, harsh sunlight, erosion and extreme sandy soil that lacks nutrients. The author writes about the different geographical environments along the Atlantic seacoast (from Maine to South Carolina) and then explains how a garden can be created in these conditions. Creating a sheltered space is essential and good information details how to find the best site, choosing a garden style, working with color schemes, improving the soil, using containers and how to use structures and hardscapes. Line drawings as well as photos nicely illustrate the text. The middle section of the book profiles 11 different gardens in various locations along the eastern coast. These gardens are beautifully photographed and the owners describe the challenges and rewards of their gardens. The last section of the book profiles the best plants to use and include trees, shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses, vines and ground covers. A chart for each plant gives details as to zone, exposure, salt tolerance, drought tolerance and deer resistance. A detailed description of the plant and recommended cultivars are provided as well.