My husband, who grew up far from the sandy soil of Wilmington, often remarks how unforgiving this environment is on grass and plants. I never thought about it growing up but, over the years, I’ve noticed just how hard it is to keep our grass alive, let alone green. So when I was asked to work on this feature for Salt Magazine about the gardener at the Blockade Runner, I was genuinely intrigued. The Blockade Runner is my top recommendation for places to stay if you are visiting Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach. It’s a newly renovated, oceanfront hotel in the heart of Wrightsville
Beach. I had no idea all of the considerations and obstacles faced when trying to plant and nurture a garden in this environment.

“He frets. He worries. He clucks over fallen pindo palms and rotten root balls. And it’s no wonder. Aubrey Doggett is a full-time gardener trying to sustain a richly planted landscape some 60 yards from the Atlantic Ocean’s high-tide mark. “You have to be crazy to do it at the beach,” he says. And yet he persists.”

I guess my husband was right about this being an unforgiving environment, but somehow Aubrey Doggett found a way.

Check out the fascinating article Barbara Sullivan wrote for Salt Magazine. And head over to the Blockade Runner at Wrightsville Beach to see Doggett’s masterpieces in person. http://www.saltmagazinenc.com/the-seaside-gardener/