Coastal Landscaping Plant List
The plants in the following lists are appropriate choices for the rugged coastal conditions of Massachusetts. The plant selections within the coastal beach plant list, coastal dune plant list, and coastal bank plant list are appropriate for the specified coastal environment, though some of the plants may overlap due to their ability to tolerate various conditions. Additional information is provided for the plant species listed below that are linked to the Plant Highlights and Images page. CZM recommends the use of natives wherever possible but has included certain non-native species in this website that have specific coastal landscaping advantages and no known environmental impacts. Where applicable, the plants are listed as "not native" and linked to a definition of the term.
Coastal Beach Plant List
Plant List for Sheltered Intertidal Areas
Sheltered intertidal areas (between the low-tide and high-tide line) of beach, marsh, and even rocky environments are home to particular plant species that can tolerate extreme fluctuations in water, salinity, and temperature. The following plants are appropriate for these conditions.
- Black Grass (Juncus gerardii)
- Marsh Elder (Iva frutescens)
- Saltmarsh Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora)
- Saltmeadow Cordgrass (Spartina patens)
- Sea Lavender (Limonium carolinianum or nashii)
- Spike Grass (Distichlis spicata)
- Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
- Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa)
Plant List for a Dry Beach
Dry beach areas are home to plants that can tolerate wind, wind-blown sand, salt spray, and regular interaction with waves and flood waters. Certain plants actually thrive on accumulations of sand to help them grow. The plants listed below are appropriate for dry beach conditions.
Coastal Dune Plant List
Plant List for Exposed Areas of a Coastal Dune
Fronting dunes and exposed secondary dunes are habitat for plant species that can tolerate wind, wind-blown sand, and salt spray; endure interaction with waves and flooding; and often even thrive on sand inundation. The plants listed below, as well as those listed above for dry beach areas, are appropriate for these environments.
- American Beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata)
- American Dunegrass (Leymus mollis)
- Beach Heather (Hudsonia tomentosa)
- Dusty Miller (Artemisia stelleriana) (not native)
Plant List for More Sheltered Areas of a Coastal Dune
More protected secondary dunes are able to host a greater variety of plant species, because they are more sheltered from wind, salt-spray, and wave action. The plants listed below, as well as those listed above for exposed coastal dunes, are appropriate for these more sheltered dune environments.
Grasses, Perennials, and Vines
- Black Grass (Juncus gerardii)
- Coastal Panic Grass (Panicum amarum var. amarulum)
- Eastern Showy Aster (Eurybia spectabilis)
- Saltmeadow Cordgrass (Spartina patens)
- Sea Lavender (Limonium carolinianum or nashii)
- Spike Grass (Distichlis spicata)
- Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
- Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
Shrubs and Groundcovers
- Beach Plum (Prunus maritima)
- Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
- Common Sea-Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) (native to Canada)
- Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis)
- Heather (Calluna vulgaris) (not native)
- Large Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
- Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
- Northern Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica)
- Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia)
- Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa) (not native) (potentially invasive)
- Sweet Fern (Comptonia peregrina)
- Virginia Rose (Rosa virginiana)
Trees
- Austrian Pine (Pinus nigra) (not native)
- Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
- Downy Serviceberry/Shadbush (Amelanchier arborea)
- Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
- Gray Birch (Betula populifolia)
- Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida)
- White Oak (Quercus alba) and other native species (Quercus spp.)
Coastal Bank Plant List
Plant List for Exposed Areas of a Coastal Bank
The top and face of the coastal bank is where the landform is most exposed to wind, salt spray, and storm waves. The plants listed below are appropriate for the rugged conditions of an exposed coastal bank.
Grasses, Perennials, and Vines
- American Beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata)
- Coastal Panic Grass (Panicum amarum var. amarulum )
- Saltmeadow Cordgrass (Spartina patens)
- Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirons)
- Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
- Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
Shrubs and Groundcovers
Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) Marsh Elder (Iva frutescens) Northern Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) Shore Juniper (Juniperus conferta) (not native) Sweet Fern (Comptonia peregrina) Trees (only on low slopes or set back from the top of the bank)
- Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
- Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
- Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida)
- White Oak (Quercus alba) and other native species (Quercus spp.)
- White Spruce (Picea glauca)
Plant List for More Sheltered Areas of a Coastal Bank
Areas landward of the top of coastal bank are more protected from wave action, but may still be significantly affected by wind and salt spray. The plants listed below, as well as those listed above for exposed areas of a coastal bank, are appropriate for these more protected areas of the coastal bank.
Grasses, Perennials, and Vines
- Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
- Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.) (not native)
- Dusty Miller (Artemisia stelleriana) (not native)
- Eastern Showy Aster (Eurybia spectabilis)
- English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) (not native)
- Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora) (not native)
- Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)
- Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
- Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica)
- Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)
- Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
- Red Fescue (Festuca rubra)
- Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) (not native)
- St. Johnswort (Hypericum spp.) (some not native)
- Sweet Goldenrod (Solidago odora)
- Threadleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata)
- Thyme (Thymus spp.) (not native)
- Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa)
- Wavy Hairgrass (Deschampsia flexuosa)
Shrubs and Groundcovers
- Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)
- Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) (not native)
- Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
- Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. Petiolaris) (not native)
- Coast Leucothoe (Leucothoe axillaris) (native to southern United States)
- Common Sea-Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) (native to Canada)
- Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster spp.) (not native)
- Downy Serviceberry/Shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis)
- Eastern Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
- Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
- Heather (Calluna vulgaris) (not native)
- Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
- Inkberry (Ilex glabra)
- Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
- Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)
- New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
- Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia)
- Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa) (not native) (potentially invasive)
- Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa)
- Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia)
- Viburnum, various species (Viburnum spp.) (some not native)
- Virginia Rose (Rosa virginiana)
- Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica) (native to southern United States)
- Wild Raisin (Viburnum cassinoides)
- Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
Trees
- American Holly (Ilex opaca)
- Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides)
- Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)
- Colorado Spruce (Picea pungens) (native to southwestern United States)
- Crabapple, various cultivars (Malus spp.) (some not native)
- Eastern Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis)
- Gray Birch (Betula populifolia)
- Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)
- Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora) (not native)
- Littleleaf Linden (Tilia cordata) (not native)
- London Planetree (Platanus xacerifolia) (not native)
- Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
- Sassafrass (Sassafras albidum)
- Scotch Pine (Pinus sylvestris) (not native)
- Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin) (not native)
- Willow, various species (Salix spp.) (some not native)
For more information about many of the plants that are listed above, visit the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources ConservationService's (NRCS) PLANTS Database, the University of Connecticut (UConn) Plant Database of Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Plant Database.
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A non-native plant species is a plant that is non-indigenous and not naturally occurring to the region. When non-native species enter into an ecosystem, they have the potential to disrupt the natural balance, reduce biodiversity, degrade habitats, alter native genetic diversity, and transmit exotic diseases to native species. However, not all non-native plants are invasive. Non-native plants that are not considered invasive are those that generally do not rapidly disperse, become established, or create self-sustaining or dominant populations that would be disruptive to the natural ecosystem. CZM recommends the use of natives wherever possible but has included certain non-native species in this website that have specific coastal landscaping advantages and no known environmental impacts. Be sure to check the most recent sources of Invasive Species information. | |
Rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa) is considered to be non-native and potentially invasive in some regions or habitats of Massachusetts and may displace desirable vegetation if not properly managed. The shrub is often planted on coastal sites because it is extremely tolerant of sea spray and storms, making it well adapted to the coastal environment. On dune sites, the shrub is useful for erosion control and stabilization and because of its thorny stems can also be strategically planted to direct pedestrians away from or between sand dunes. However, because of its ability to spread by seeds and by rhizomes, it has an ability to outcompete and displace other native beach and dune plants. In addition, on bank sites, rugosa rose is less effective at controlling erosion and may in fact worsen the problem when other more effective erosion control plants are unable to grow due to shading effects. Therefore, care should be taken when considering planting rugosa rose on coastal properties. | |
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