I need z9b seaside living Californians' advise

Hello!

A friend of mine is designing a garden at the beach and wants to include two species and she wants to know if they tolerate salty wind and the lack of frost:

- Cornus florida, &
- Magnolia soulangeana

The house is very close to the beach.

Thanks in advance,

Ursula

I don't know enough about either of those to tell you if they would survive (plus I don't live right on the coast!), however my guess is that the coastal climate would not be ideal for them and I would recommend looking into some CA native trees instead, they would probably do a better job standing up to the wind and salt spray and would also be adapted to our dry summers. I have some books on CA native plants--if nobody else gives any suggestions during the day today, I'll look tonight when I get home from work and see if they have any suggestions for flowering trees that would do well near the beach.

Thank you very much, ecrane3, I appreciate your offer.

How close to the ocean are they? If they're right next to the beach and get wind and salt spray, the only thing my book suggests are Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana), Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata), and shore pine (Pinus contorta ssp. contorta). There are also some shrubs that are recommended for these conditions that can get pretty large and some can be trained to be more tree-like--several species of Ceanothus and Arctostaphylos (manzanita), Heteromeles arbutifolia (toyon), and Prunus ilicifolia.

Otherwise, if they're protected from the wind and salt spray, there are more options. There is a CA native dogwood, Cornus sericea. And some others: Aesculus californica (CA buckeye), Arbutus menzeisii (madrone), Cercis occidentalis (this one not recommended for northern coastal areas--not sure where your friends live), Comarostaphylis diversifolia, Garrya elliptica, Lyonothamnus floribundus (Ironwood), Sambucus mexicana, Umbellularia californica (bay laurel). That's just the flowering trees/large shrubs, there are also several other species of pine, some oaks, ash, poplar, etc.

I still don't know whether the magnolia and the non-native dogwood would do well, if they have wind and salt spray to deal with then most likely not, but if there's not too much of that then they may do OK, but I would still recommend the natives first! They're more likely to adapt well without needing all sorts of extra pampering.

Thank you very much for all the valious information you gave me, ecrane3.

I forgot to say that my friend is planning a garden here in Chile (LOL) and I placed my question in this forum because we have similar climates (Mediterranean).

I will forward your information to my friend.

Thank you very much and big hug,

Ursula

Sorry--I thought your friend was in CA and that's why you posted here. If she's in Chile, then there are probably a bunch of other options for her, I only recommended CA natives since I thought your friend was here. I'm honestly not sure how well some of these would do outside of CA, some may be fine but others maybe not depending on type of soil, how much rain, summer temps, etc. I still think if they live right on the coast and have issues with wind and salt spray the dogwood and the magnolia may not do too well though.

Thanks, ecrane3.

I will forward all this information to Gabriela.

Big hug,

Ursula

Ursula, have you considered a New Zealand Christmas Tree (Metrosideros excelsa). It's evergreen, has dark green leaves with silvery undersides and lots of red flowers. It grows extremely well in coastal conditions.

Here's the link to the Plant Files - http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2243/index.html

Thanks, wgnkiwi, I will add Metrosideros excelsa to the suggested blooming trees.

Cornus florida, & Magnolia soulangeana will both sustain salt burn and depending on their locations can eventually adapt..
The Cornus takes much longer to adapt than the Magnolia.

I have planted both of these trees directly above the crashing Pacific Ocean as well as several yards + several miles from the ocean from Monterey to Mendocino.

Ocean side planting can be a challenge, but the rewards are great.

For a comprehensive list you might check into the Mendocino Botanical Garden's website.
This garden resides directly next to the crashing sea.

Thanks, deviant. I will forward this information to my friend. I think it will make her happy.