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long white flower spikes were just beginning to emerge.
Olearia traversii, the daisy bush, is a much-used shelter belt shrub – it’s a fastgrowing evergreen with great tolerance for sea salt and high winds. It has small daisylike flowers in summer.
I saw some specimens that had grown tall, and when backlit with evening sun, the gnarly trunk and silvery grey green leaves gave them the appearance of olive trees!
Really flourishing and looking their best were thick hedges of Escallonia rubra, covered in small tubular crimson flowers. The sticky nature of their leaves provides a defence against salt.
Some of my favourite coastal plants are the hydrangea hedges – these are the mophead varieties, Hydrangea macrophylla. The fun here is the variation in colour, from surreal-looking blues on acid soils, to pretty in pink on neutral or alkaline soil or wonderful rich purples.
Clumps of bright blue agapanthus, great stands of Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum) and waving wands of pampas grass were the standout ornamentals – all enjoying their seaside homes.
So perhaps take a trip beyond our towns and villages to the wilds of Britain’s coastal counties to discover useful beauties which allow us to garden in a delightful way... whatever the weather or climate offers!
Q
CAN you identify this tree leaf please? Saplings seem to spring up everywhere, especially in my garden, and then develop into large trees. I detest them as they’re very hardy and difficult to get rid of.
Viv Teague, via email
A
THIS is an acer, very likely the common sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) which is a prolific self-seeder, or an
Acer platanoides. Children like to play with the helicopter-like winged seeds, but when they land and germinate in the middle of your borders they’re not so much fun.
The key is to get them out while they’re seedlings and easy to pull up. The big maple leaf makes them easy to spot.
As you’ve found out, they rapidly grow into saplings with strong roots, then trees.