Coastal Landscaping in Massachusetts - Plant List

Find landscaping plants that help control coastal erosion, prevent storm damage, reduce stormwater pollution, and enhance wildlife habitat.

Table of Contents

About The Plant Lists

The plants listed below are good choices for the rugged coastal conditions of Massachusetts. The Coastal Beach Plant List, Coastal Dune Plant List, Coastal Bank Plant List, and Salt Marsh Buffer Plant List give recommended species for each specified location (with some species overlapping because they thrive in various conditions). 

The common name (with a link to plant photos and a description), scientific name, and native status are provided for each plant. For purposes of this website, native species means occurring naturally in eastern Massachusetts—see Definitions of Native and Non-Native Plant Species for details. CZM recommends using native plants wherever possible. The vast majority of the plants listed below are native, but certain beneficial non-native species that are not considered invasive have also been listed. These plants are labeled “not native,” and their state or country of origin is given in parentheses.

Photos and additional information for selected species are available on Grasses and Perennials, Shrubs, Groundcovers, and Vines, and Trees.

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 along the Massachusetts coast.

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 in Massachusetts.

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 along the Massachusetts coast.

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 Areas of a Coastal Dune, are appropriate for these more sheltered dune environments in Massachusetts.

Grasses and Perennials

Shrubs, Groundcovers, and Vines

Trees

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 in Massachusetts.

Grasses and Perennials

Shrubs, Groundcovers, and Vines

Trees (only plant on low slopes or set back from the top of the bank)

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 in Massachusetts.

Grasses and Perennials

Shrubs, Groundcovers, and Vines

Trees

Salt Marsh Buffer Plant List

Plant List for Exposed Areas of the Salt Marsh Buffer

Plants for exposed areas of the salt marsh buffer (closer to the salt marsh) must be able to tolerate wind, salt spray, and occasional splashover and storm surge from extreme storms. These plants must also be low growing so that they do not cause potential shading of nearby salt marsh species. The plants listed below are appropriate for these conditions.

Grasses and Perennials

Shrubs, Groundcovers, and Vines

Plant List for More Sheltered Areas of the Salt Marsh Buffer

In the more landward areas of the meadow buffer—where plants are more sheltered from wind, salt spray, splashover, and potential storm surge—a greater variety of plants can grow. The plants listed below, as well as those listed above for exposed areas, are appropriate for these conditions.

Grasses and Perennials

Shrubs, Groundcovers, and Vines

Trees

More Information

For more information about many of the plants that are listed above, visit the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) PLANTS Database, the University of Connecticut (UConn) Plant Database of Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Plant Database, and the Native Plant Trust’s Go Botany website. The specific native status of each plant was determined by using The Vascular Plants of Massachusetts: A County Checklist published as a CD by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.

Caution with a Very Common Coastal Plant - Rosa Rugosa

rugosa rose

Rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa) is considered to be non-native (native to eastern Asia) and potentially invasive in some regions or habitats of Massachusetts and may displace desirable vegetation if not properly managed. Though the shrub is extremely tolerant of sea spray and effective at directing pedestrian access away from dunes, it has the ability to form dense thickets that shade and outcompete other native bank, beach, and dune plants. Rugosa rose can also spread vigorously through both seed dispersal (carried by the rose hips) and underground rhizomes. Therefore, care should be taken when considering planting rugosa rose on coastal properties.

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