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  Oceanside is a waterfront community halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, made famous by the United States Marine Corps base, Camp Pendleton. The proximity to the ocean means gardeners must be aware of the salt air. Too much salt spray can kill plants. Salt tolerance in plants, shrubs and flowers, such as the ones below, is needed if you are within 1/8 mile of the beach.
  
  

Trees

• High-salt-tolerant trees come in different forms. The Japanese black Pine (Pinus thunbergii), which is a highly salt tolerant evergreen tree, is sought after by gardeners for its unique twisty trunk and form. Chinese Podocarpus (Podocarpus macrophyllus) has long, slender leaves, is evergreen and is a highly salt-tolerant tree. It can be used as a focal point or as an accent, hedge or screen. The Italian Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), also an evergreen, is moderately salt tolerant, is a great accent tree and grows up to 60 feet with columnar growth. The Cypress is used in privacy screens.
  
  

Shrubs

• The California wild lilac (Ceanothus thyrisiflorus) tolerates the salt air, and it is a low-growing shrub with a brilliant blue flower. The fast-growing shrub has small, round, textured leaves and makes a great border hedge. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is evergreen, highly salt-tolerant and has drought-tolerant tendencies as well. This plant is a great herb, has small blue flowers, and is great in mounds and small hedges. Dwarf pittosporum (Pittosporum wheelerii) is low-growing, highly salt-tolerant, evergreen, and has small green glossy leaves about 1 to 3 inches long. This shrub makes a great accent plant and border plant.
  
  

Flowers

• Sea lavender (Limonium), among the most salt-tolerant plants, is a stocky, hardy perennial plant with purple flowers. Another highly salt-tolerant flower is the perennial day lily (Hemerocallis). This plant has long slender dark green leaves, over a foot long. Still another hardy, low-growing perennial flower is the Lantana, (Lantana camara and montevidenis); it, too, is highly salt-tolerant. The lantana has small clusters of bright oranges, reds and purples. It can be used by itself to fill beds, on trellises and small border hedges.