Wild: The Naturalistic Garden

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Diversity is key to naturalistic planting. 'Avoid over-bred cultivars, and choose long lived, ideally native, best performing plants that will adore the soil and aspect of the bed and happily self seed, increasing the natural feel. Don’t just think about the flower, but also the plant's transformation throughout the seasons,’ advises landscape designer Michelle Brandon . He encourages gardeners to look at the square footage they have available for a garden and then ask, how do I plant more than 100 percent of the square footage? At first blush, more than 100 percent doesn’t sound as though it makes any sense, but Kelly says to remember that square footage is in two dimensions, while plants are three dimensional. Looking from the top down and realizing that densely planted plants overlap each other, more than 100 percent of the square footage is accounted for. In his search for an expanded plant palette, Oudolf assembled and introduced a number of initially obscure perennials and grasses that fulfilled these criteria. Over the course of 30 years, he developed a signature perennial palette of plants that he could trust to behave as “good neighbours.” The shape of things

Wild, The Naturalistic Garden By Noel Kingsbury | New Wild, The Naturalistic Garden By Noel Kingsbury | New

This style of planting is a wonderful addition to wildlife garden ideas, which also creates a beautiful scheme. I once wondered the very same thing. After years of experimenting in my own northern perennial garden and getting to know some of the plants and people leading the charge, I became seriously inspired to find a way. Image credit: Mazzullo + Russell Landscape Design / Eva Nemeth) The best plants to use in a naturalistic planting design Have patience and give it time. When your home garden starts to appear as if it has grown all by itself, you’re definitely on the right (less manicured) path. Jo Wakelin Garden, near Cromwell, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand. Designer: Jo Wakelin. Photography by Claire TakacsThe goal is to free the mind to think in the abstract when combining plants and to aim for a variety of shapes and effects in the course of one planting area. It may also gently steer the gardener away from the temptation to plant one of this and one of that with no sense of connection. On a smaller scale, the plantings can become parts of a stage set. Try to repeat theme plants and combinations to link one part to another. Pay special attention to how natural light moves through the garden space to illuminate the plantings.

Naturalistic planting design: plants to use and design ideas Naturalistic planting design: plants to use and design ideas

Kelly Norris is an author, garden communicator, and advocate for biodiversity in the modern landscape. (photo: Courtesy of Kelly Norris) New Naturalism: Designing and Planting a Resilient, Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden” by Kelly Norris Garden designer Jennie Herrington, director of Green Room Garden Design, is a great fan of combining a more contemporary garden style with a naturalistic planting palette. The New Perennial approach is about opening your mind’s eye to see plants for more than simply the beauty of their flowers. Philosophically, it’s about embracing change in the garden and the interplay of textures and foliage from birth to bloom and from decay to death. This quietly revolutionary aesthetic underpins a four-dimensional approach to design with the plantings composed like a living art form, designed to evolve in space and time.Figuratively and literally, we’ve just begun to scratch the surface when it comes to understanding soil. One thing we do know is that soils that are dominated by fungi tend to support greater amounts of diversity, Kelly says. Dandelions are one of those weeds that love disturbed ground, and Kelly says he’s tempted to write a book all about them. They are one of those plants that, the more we learn about them, the more of a mystery they become. Where they originate from is unclear, though we do know that they follow humans and are found on every continent. Their presence has more to do with what we do to the earth than what we refrain from doing. Verbena bonariensis is great for bees and hoverflies, is a good choice if you're wondering how to attract butterflies, and self-seeds all over, so is a great naturalizer Kelly designs the matrix layer with living mulch, like sedges, the low-growing grass-like plants in the Carex genus. They’re not showy, but they do a lot of work, he says. Image credit: Michelle Brandon Garden Design) What plants should you include in naturalistic planting?

naturalistic landscape In your rewildest dreams: how to create a naturalistic landscape

This garden designed by Michael McCoy is one of 40 naturalistic gardens around the world featured in Wild, The Naturalistic Garden by Noel Kingsbury, with photography by Claire Takacs. It’s been described as ‘the first comprehensive overview’ of the naturalistic planting design movement. It really gives an idea of the range of styles and situations that suit this sustainable and wildlife-friendly way of planting.One of my favourite books on the subject is Planting, A New Perspective by Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury. It’s a very detailed and highly knowledgeable, covering grouping and combining plants and long-term plant performance. There are planting plans and a closer look at issues such as the architecture of perennial plants. Her garden is distinct, yet her approach isn’t entirely unique. Across the world, a growing number of gardeners are embracing the feral nature of flora, to create gardens that embrace the call of the wild. This extraordinarily useful compendium should be required reading for anyone aspiring to ... a gorgeous garden.' - New York Times Book Review This planting model requires a sheer abundance of plants that is different than gardeners have been used to working with. Instead of one of this, three of that and five of those, Kelly designs with seven, nine, 11 or 13 of each plant. That’s because, in nature, plants of the same species are often found in groupings, and there often needs to be many of them for them to perform ecosystem services effectively.

Wild: The Naturalistic Garden: Kingsbury, Noel, Takacs

Living mulch will do what other mulches do, and more. It prevents compaction of the soil, holds moisture, suppresses weeds and provides organic matter, among many other benefits. Understanding Plant Architecture and the Social Life of Plants I don’t dig up dahlias to store them at the end of the summer. And before you dig your dahlias up, it’s important to know the pros and cons. You…

Only use plants that look good before, during and after flowering!

Meadow Nord in late May featuring Penstemon “Pocahontas,” Zizia aurea (golden alexander), and Monarda bradburiana (Bradbury’s bergamot). (photo: Kelly Norris) Get out into the world and visit public gardens that follow a more naturalistic approach. Or just get lost in nature and find your muse there.