The table calls it a tie: Coreopsis and Russian Sage share the crown at 95 and 95 of 100, a gap smaller than the data can honestly split.
Salt spray is the filter that empties most planting lists. Admission needs a documented salt or sandy soil record; the scoring then separates true salt-proof species from the merely sand-tolerant, and rewards bloom that lasts the season.
The picks
The flowers that won The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
95 95 CO-WINNER CO-WINNER YFG INDEX Salt-spray tolerance: drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt · Sandy fast-draining soil: drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt · Bloom through the season: 6 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no vase data in the postharvest literature
Deer: rarely damaged (Rutgers A) Cat safe (listed non-toxic)
95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Sandy fast-draining soil 25 / 25 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Bloom through the season 18 / 20 6 months
Care while it grows 12 / 15 low, medium (mean of range)
95 95 CO-WINNER CO-WINNER YFG INDEX Salt-spray tolerance: drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution · Sandy fast-draining soil: drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution · Bloom through the season: 5 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no vase data in the postharvest literature
Deer: rarely damaged (Rutgers A)
95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Sandy fast-draining soil 25 / 25 drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Bloom through the season 15 / 20 5 months
Care while it grows 15 / 15 low
Also great Close behind on points. Neither beats the winner overall, but each is the better answer in a garden the winner would not suit.
91 91 ALSO GREAT ALSO GREAT YFG INDEX Salt-spray tolerance: drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil · Sandy fast-draining soil: drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil · Bloom through the season: 6 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
asks for some seasonal upkeep; toxic to cats
Deer: seldom damaged (Rutgers B) Not for cat households
91 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 25 / 25 drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Bloom through the season 18 / 20 6 months
Care while it grows 8 / 15 medium
89 89 ALSO GREAT ALSO GREAT YFG INDEX Salt-spray tolerance: drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil · Sandy fast-draining soil: drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil · Bloom through the season: 3 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no flaw on record
Deer: seldom damaged (Rutgers B)
89 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 25 / 25 drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Bloom through the season 9 / 20 3 months
Care while it grows 15 / 15 low
The protocol
How the score is built 4 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Salt-spray tolerance 40 points salt tolerance documented 40; only sandy-soil credentials 14 Read from: stress tolerances.
Sandy fast-draining soil 25 points documented for sandy dry soil 25; not documented 10 Read from: stress tolerances.
Bloom through the season 20 points eight or more months 20; six to seven 18; four to five 15; three 9; two 4; one 2; no bloom data 4 Read from: the months it is in bloom.
Care while it grows 15 points low upkeep 15; middling 8; demanding 2; sources disagree, we average the range; no rating 6 Read from: how much upkeep extension guides report.
Not ranked here: neither salt nor sandy-soil tolerance documented.
The full method ↗
The leaderboard
The top ten The 10 highest of 31 that qualified. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
1 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Sandy fast-draining soil 25 / 25 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Bloom through the season 18 / 20 6 months
Care while it grows 12 / 15 low, medium (mean of range)
1 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Sandy fast-draining soil 25 / 25 drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Bloom through the season 15 / 20 5 months
Care while it grows 15 / 15 low
3 91 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 25 / 25 drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Bloom through the season 18 / 20 6 months
Care while it grows 8 / 15 medium
4 89 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 25 / 25 drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Bloom through the season 9 / 20 3 months
Care while it grows 15 / 15 low
5 83 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, heat, salt, black walnut, clay soil, wet soil, urban, wind
Sandy fast-draining soil 10 / 25 drought, heat, salt, black walnut, clay soil, wet soil, urban, wind
Bloom through the season 18 / 20 6 months
Care while it grows 15 / 15 low
6 80 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, heat, clay soil, salt
Sandy fast-draining soil 10 / 25 drought, heat, clay soil, salt
Bloom through the season 15 / 20 4 months
Care while it grows 15 / 15 low
6 80 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, salt, heat, erosion, clay soil, poor soil, wet soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 10 / 25 drought, salt, heat, erosion, clay soil, poor soil, wet soil
Bloom through the season 15 / 20 5 months
Care while it grows 15 / 15 low
6 80 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 wet soil, heavy shade, salt, clay soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 10 / 25 wet soil, heavy shade, salt, clay soil
Bloom through the season 15 / 20 4 months
Care while it grows 15 / 15 low
9 73 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, salt, wet soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 10 / 25 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, salt, wet soil
Bloom through the season 15 / 20 4 months
Care while it grows 8 / 15 medium
9 73 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 40 / 40 drought, heat, humidity, salt, air pollution, urban
Sandy fast-draining soil 10 / 25 drought, heat, humidity, salt, air pollution, urban
Bloom through the season 15 / 20 4 months
Care while it grows 8 / 15 medium
Considered, not chosen Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this question is not theirs.
neither salt nor sandy-soil tolerance documented Roses, Tulips, Peonies and 51 more
The winner's badge Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Coreopsis
The badge is generated by this ranking, not awarded by hand. When the
table changes, it re-scores itself.
95 95 SEASIDE CHAMPION SEASIDE CHAMPION YFG INDEX · WINNER How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit the question is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
shown. When the table changes, every score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
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