Gardening at the Shore

Creating a garden in a coastal area can be daunting, even for those who have mastered the techniques of inland gardening. Wind, sand, salt, and scorching sun all combine to create a unique set of challenges. Frances Tenenbaum, who has gardened for decades on Martha's Vineyard, knows these challenges intimately and has learned how to meet them. Whether you garden on the cool, foggy Pacific Coast, the New England and Mid-Atlantic shore, or the warm southeastern Atlantic Coast, the techniques in this book will enable you to create a lush, welcoming garden that can brave the elements. As Tenenbaum admits, it took her years of experimentation to learn how to garden successfully in coastal conditions. Luckily, you don't have to relive her failures: the answers are right here.

Media reviews of this book:

"A mine of information about gardening at the seaside."

—Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, August 12, 2007

"An informative guide to everything from preparing for hurricanes to planting in the sand. It includes listings of public coastal gardens, hardy species, and advice from experts."

—Waterfront Home & Design, Fall/Winter 2006

"Would make a fine present for a friend living and gardening to [Maine's] south, or on the Pacific coast."

—Carol Howe, Downeast Coastal Press, September 24, 2007

"Has very good information about what works and what doesn't."

—Abby Jane Brody, East Hampton Star, April 13, 2007

"Just what the horticulturist ordered. When it comes to writing, Frances, the grande dame of garden book editors, practices what she preaches. A veteran of seashore gardening on Martha's Vineyard, she advises on dealing with coastal elements from Oregon to Long Island. You'll enjoy the coast-to-coast photos by Jerry Pavia."

—Irene Virag, Newsday, December 17, 2006

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An excerpt from this book:

It will probably not come as a surprise to anyone who lives on the edges of the North American continent that more people every year are moving from the interior to the coastal states, 3600 people every day, according to a climate study sponsored by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Not everyone in coastal states can see or hear the water, but for those of us who can, this makes the often difficult job of gardening more than worthwhile. In this chapter, I'll make an attempt to describe briefly these coastal areas, their similarities and their differences. But these descriptions, at best, have to be generalities ...

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