© Eric Pellerin, Jardin botanique de Vauville
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Coastal gardens to explore – and the lessons they can teach us

Nine RHS Partner Gardens demonstrate how to work with, rather than resist, coastal conditions, showing that a challenging environment can become a landscape rich with horticultural possibility

Coastal gardens are often imagined as places where plants battle against the wind. However, their relationship with the sea is much more subtle and usually woven throughout the planting choices. We’ve selected nine RHS Partner Gardens that owe much of their character to the influence of the coast, revealing how these conditions are both an ally and a challenge. 

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Walmer Castle and Gardens, Kent

© English Heritage
Walmer Castle is one of England’s finest coastal fortresses
Built by Henry VIII in the 16th century to defend the country against invasion, Walmer Castle occupies a position on the East Kent coast where the prevailing wind approaches from the land rather than the sea, meaning salt spray rarely reaches the gardens.

However, the site is still exposed to challenging conditions. In winter, strong winds sweep around the castle and damage plants, while in summer the breezes tend to dry out plants very quickly.

To help protect the garden, William Pitt the Younger established a shelterbelt around the grounds in the early 1800s, much of which is now woodland. In the jungle moat, large-leaved plants are further sheltered by evergreens strategically positioned where the wind funnels around the castle.

One of the most effective windbreaks, with its large leaves and big flowerheads, is Mahonia duclouxiana. Green-leaved Aucuba species such as A. filicauda and A. japonica ‘Dentata’ are also used, as they reinforce and enhance the native shingle beach vegetation, consisting of green islands of grasses and herbaceous plants. This habitat is of great importance for biodiversity, providing breeding grounds for rare moths such as the Bright Wave and Sussex Emerald. Both species are found in abundance along Walmer Castle’s seafront but remain scarce elsewhere in the UK.

  • Free days out for RHS Members in 2026: Thursdays–Fridays, 20 February–30 October; Saturdays–Sundays, 1 November–20 December
  • Find out more at Walmer Castle and Gardens

Glenwhan Botanic Garden, Scotland

© Ian Knott Sinclair, Glenwhan Botanic Garden
Glenwhan Botanic Garden benefits from the close proximity of the Gulf Stream
Glenwhan Botanic Garden is located on Scotland’s south-west coast and offers stunning sea views across Luce Bay to the Mull of Galloway.

Carved out of moorland by owner Tessa Knott Sinclair and creatively developed since the 1970s, the site benefits from being close to the Gulf Stream, which allows many tender and exotic plants from around the world to flourish. Over four decades, Glenwhan has been transformed from bog, rushes and gorse into an award-winning garden. The splendid views and peaceful ambience offer visitors a place to immerse themselves in a tranquil atmosphere.

Cambo Gardens, Scotland

© Cambo Gardens
Cambo Gardens offers a natural gateway to the wider coastline
Situated on the Fife coast, Cambo Gardens combines a stunning 2.5-acre walled garden with extensive woodlands and a network of woodland walks that lead all the way down to the sea. A stream runs through the estate, guiding the landscape towards the Fife Coastal Path. Visitors can also follow routes that lead to Cambo Sands and the North Sea, directly connecting the garden with the surrounding coastal landscape.

The coastal setting is reflected in its winter gardens, late-season naturalistic plantings and prairie garden (unique in Scotland), while the woodlands are home to a National Plant Collection of snowdrops.

Being adjacent to Fife Ness, a well-known site for rare migrant birds, Cambo plays host in spring and autumn to a wide range of scarce European migrants, including red-backed shrikes and wrynecks, as well as rarities from further afield with regular sightings of Pallas’s warblers.

  • Free days out for RHS Members in 2026: Wednesdays and Thursdays, when open
  • Find out more at Cambo Gardens

Coleton Fishacre, Devon

© James Grainger
Both the historic house and the landscape influence the garden experience at Coleton Fishacre
Coleton Fishacre is a place where the house, garden and wider landscape are intrinsically linked, creating a unique sense of place shaped by its position on the South Devon coast. It’s built into a sheltered valley overlooking the sea, drawing the eye from the cultivated spaces around the house to the natural beauty of the coastline beyond.

The garden’s location has a significant influence on both the plants that grow here and the way the team gardens. Benefiting from a mild maritime climate, a wide range of tender and exotic species thrive. Sea mists and moisture carried inland from the coast help maintain humidity levels, creating favourable growing conditions.

The planting scheme is also strongly influenced by the surrounding coastline and natural habitats. Plants growing on nearby cliffs, headlands and coastal slopes provide inspiration, with species that share similar forms, textures and colours incorporated into the garden. This helps strengthen the connection between the designed landscape and the wider environment, ensuring the garden feels rooted in its setting.

  • Free days out for RHS Members in 2026: Friday–Saturday, when open (excluding Good Friday)
  • Find out more at Coleton Fishacre

Mothecombe Gardens, Devon

© Mark Bolton
Mothecombe Gardens is sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly salt-laden winds
Set above the Erme Estuary on the South Devon coast, Mothecombe Gardens has been shaped by its surroundings for generations.

The relatively mild winters allow a diverse range of plants to thrive, while the sea breezes help keep the garden fresh during the summer months. Salt-laden winds and periods of drought mean that selecting the right plant for the right place is essential. Alongside swathes of English lavender, salvias, gauras and ornamental grasses, Echium pininana provides a valuable source of nectar for pollinators, producing towering flower spikes that are alive with bees throughout the summer.

Mature trees and carefully positioned hedges create sheltered pockets where more delicate plants can flourish, while exposed areas are planted with species naturally suited to the landscape. Every plant has earned its place and by working in harmony with the conditions, the garden has developed a distinctive character that feels entirely at home on this stretch of the South Devon coast.

East Ruston Old Vicarage, Norfolk

East Ruston Old Vicarage is arranged as a series of interconnected garden rooms
East Ruston Old Vicarage is a 32-acre garden renowned for its extraordinary plant diversity. Species from around the world grow side by side, demonstrating the remarkable range of plants that can thrive in this coastal setting.

The garden’s location plays an important role in its success. Situated close to the North Sea on the north-east Norfolk coast, it benefits from the sea’s moderating influence, which helps reduce the severity of winter frosts. The soil is a light, sandy, free-draining loam with a neutral pH, although pockets of more acidic soil are reflected in the blue flowers of the hydrangeas.

Extensive shelterbelts protect the garden from strong coastal winds, creating a network of microclimates that support everything from subtropical and Mediterranean plantings to drought-tolerant species.

The Desert Wash area is entered through a striking monolithic gateway known as the Pharaoh’s Gate, leading visitors into a dry, heat-loving landscape where a wide range of plants, particularly those from South Africa, are grown and assessed for their suitability to the garden’s conditions.

The surrounding landscape has also influenced the garden’s development. Historic field boundaries, ponds and hedgerows have been restored to provide shelter, enhance biodiversity and reconnect the site with its agricultural past.

  • Free days out for RHS Members in 2026: Wednesday–Sunday in October, when open
  • Find out more at East Ruston Old Vicarage

Jardin Botanique de Vauville, France

© Eric Pellerin
Different microclimates shape the very design of the Botanical Garden of Vauville
Perched on the western coast of the Cotentin Peninsula in France, the Botanical Garden of Vauville owes much of its character to its proximity to the sea. The Gulf Stream brings mild winters and a remarkably frost-free climate, allowing plants from distant continents to thrive. Yet the ocean is both an ally and a challenge. Salt-laden winds, powerful storms and constant exposure have shaped not only the plant collection but also the very design of the garden.

Rather than resisting the elements, the garden works with them. Its 22 distinct garden rooms are sheltered by a carefully crafted network of living windbreaks. Towering specimens of Cupressus macrocarpa form protective walls against Atlantic gales, while dense plantings of bamboo create flexible, rustling screens. Architectural species such as Phormium tenax and Eryngium pandanifolium provide additional shelter, their robust foliage thriving where more delicate plants would struggle.

These layers of protection create a succession of microclimates, each offering conditions suited to plants from different regions of the world. As visitors move from one garden room to another, they discover a landscape shaped by both botanical ambition and maritime reality. The result is a unique coastal garden where the wind is not an enemy to be excluded but a force that has inspired creativity, structure and beauty.

Mount Stewart, Ireland

© National Trust images
Mount Stewart is surrounded by seawater on three sides
Created in the early 20th century by Edith, Lady Londonderry, Mount Stewart combines formal and informal garden rooms with an exceptional collection of plants from around the world. Its remarkable diversity is made possible by a unique coastal microclimate created by its position on a rise overlooking Strangford Lough.

“This is one of the warmest areas in Ireland, giving us the ability to grow an abundance of tropical plants that you wouldn’t normally expect to see thriving outdoors in our climate,” said Head Gardener Robert Wilson.

The garden also benefits from its historic sea plantation, established in the early 19th century to reduce wind speeds and protect the estate from salt-laden sea spray. Together with the waters of Strangford Lough, it creates the sheltered conditions that allow everything from giant Himalayan lilies to exotic late-summer displays to flourish.

“However, this comes with its challenges,” Robert continued. “In recent years we’ve experienced more frequent winter storms, while higher winter rainfall is creating a more challenging environment for the team. Some of our historic plants and collections have to be managed in different ways now and in some cases we’re having to completely rethink how we garden.

“Salt spray and wind are two major factors we have to consider when selecting plants, as they are now everyday conditions we work with. At the same time, these changing conditions create exciting opportunities to experiment with new plants and discover how they can be used in the garden.”

As climate change continues to influence coastal landscapes, the National Trust is helping the garden adapt by restoring and expanding the historic sea plantation, monitoring the effects of changing weather patterns and using nature-based approaches to strengthen the resilience of this remarkable garden for future generations.

  • Free days out for RHS Members in 2026: When open
  • Find out more at Mount Stewart

Upton Castle Gardens, Wales

© Upton Castle
Upton Castle sits within a rich mosaic of woodland and water
Set within a sheltered wooded valley beside the tidal Cleddau estuary in Pembrokeshire, Upton Castle Gardens benefits from a mild, maritime climate shaped by its proximity to the water.

Although this is not a true coastal garden, the movement of the tide and the presence of nearby saltmarshes help define the character of the setting. This creates a unique growing environment in which a wide range of ornamental planting thrives within the protection of the valley, while still reflecting the influence of the wider coastal landscape.

  • Free days out for RHS Members in 2026: April–20 September, Tuesday and Friday when open
  • Find out more at Upton Castle Gardens
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