Gardening in Bayside means working with sandy soil that drains fast and holds few nutrients, salt-laden winds off the bay, and hot, dry summers. The good news: plenty of beautiful plants love exactly these conditions - many of them indigenous to the local coast.
Prepare the soil first
- Add organic matter. Compost improves sandy soil’s ability to hold water and nutrients.
- Use a wetting agent. Dry sand can become water-repellent; wetting agents help water soak in.
- Mulch 50–75mm deep. Keeps roots cool, holds moisture and suppresses weeds. Keep it off stems.
- Install drip irrigation. Delivers water to roots with little waste - see our irrigation service.
- Plant in autumn. Warm soil and winter rain give roots a head start before summer.
Trees and large shrubs
- Coast Banksia (Banksia integrifolia). Indigenous to the Bayside coast. Handles salt wind and sandy soil, and feeds birds.
- Moonah (Melaleuca lanceolata). Tough coastal small tree with a characterful, gnarled form.
- Coast Tea-tree (Leptospermum laevigatum). Classic foreshore shrub for screening and windbreaks.
Hedges and screens
- Westringia (coastal rosemary). The go-to coastal hedge - salt-, wind- and drought-tolerant, and clips well.
- White Correa (Correa alba). Compact, grey-green coastal shrub that makes a neat low hedge.
- Coast Daisy-bush (Olearia axillaris). Silvery foliage that handles exposed, salty positions.
- Wall germander (Teucrium fruticans). Silver Mediterranean shrub that clips into a soft hedge.
Groundcovers and grasses
- Cushion Bush (Leucophyta brownii). Striking silver mounds that thrive in sand and salt.
- Creeping Boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium). Fast, dense groundcover for banks and borders.
- Native Pigface (Carpobrotus rossii). Succulent groundcover with bright flowers; very drought-hardy.
- Lomandra and Dianella. Tough strappy plants for mass planting and borders.
- Tussock grass (Poa labillardierei). Soft, fine-leaved native grass for texture and movement.
Mediterranean accents
- Lavender and rosemary. Aromatic, flowering and happy in free-draining sandy soil.
- Agave attenuata and other succulents. Sculptural and very low-water - ideal with mid-century homes in Beaumaris.
- Euphorbia characias. Bold structural perennial for dry beds (note: its sap is an irritant).
Plants to avoid near the foreshore
Agapanthus and gazanias are popular but spread readily into coastal bushland and are considered environmental weeds in coastal Victoria. Local indigenous plants are a better choice close to the bay - your council can point you to local plant lists.
Keeping a coastal garden looking good
Once established, a well-planted coastal garden needs far less water than a traditional one. Light, regular trimming keeps shrubs like Westringia and Correa dense, and topping up mulch each spring keeps moisture in. See our seasonal garden calendar for what to do when.
