Cultivating the Coast 



BY NANCY DAVIS 



It's a never-ending battle for survival. 



Day after day, wind thrashes the blades of 

 sea oats and beach grass. Salt spray settles onto 

 the leaves of the live oak. And, in the summer, 

 temperatures on the sand's surface rocket above 

 100 degrees. 



For plants, the coast is not an easy place to 

 live. 



For landscapers, it will take more than a 

 green thumb to turn this harsh environment 

 into a vegetated vacation spot. It will require 

 planning, perseverance and a short lesson on 

 coastal horticulture. 



Karl Graetz, a horticulturist and author of 

 Seacoast Plants of the Carolinas, says home- 

 owners can't expect to change North Caroli- 



Karl Graetz ( above ); sea 

 oats on a dune 



na's barrier islands into a tropical paradise. 



It's not likely, for example, that you'll see 

 swaying palm trees rising above a lush, green 

 forest of trees and shrubs. 



If it's palm trees you want, he says, "you 

 might as well buy the tree trunk and put plastic 

 leaves up there. " 



With a little research and a copy of Seacoast 

 Plants, Graetz says you can succeed at a do-it- 

 yourself landscape project. And this month is 

 one of the best times of the year to plant things 

 such as beach grass and small shrubs. 



(For a copy of Seacoast Plants, write Sea 

 Grant. Ask for UNC-SG-73-06. The cost is $2.) 



If you're still hesitant, your district soil con- 

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