Naturalistic Style

The naturalistic garden style captures the essence of wild spaces while subtly accommodating our human experience through function and comfort. This is a style that feels spontaneous and organic, but is still accessible and intentional– plants mingle together and self-sow, providing a sense of discovery and delight through a space that naturally evolves over time. Thorough planning and occasional editing maintain these gardens’ cohesive aesthetic without eliminating their impression of spontaneity. 

While naturalistic gardens may appear casually assembled, they typically require some knowledge of plant communities and seasonal progression. A carefully-planned sequence of blooms provides year-round interest. Strategic groupings of plants with complementary growing habits create resilient communities that require less maintenance over time. These gardens often feature native and regionally-adapted plants that provide wildlife value, natural hardscape materials that are allowed to weather, meandering paths, and soft edges. These elements feel like they emerged from nature, rather than having been installed.

These gardens are distinctive in their emphasis on evolution and wildness. Any functional goals you have for your space can be achieved with this style– you can create a habitat, vegetable, or xeric garden using naturalistic design principles.

Naturalistic planting style in different garden types:

• Habitat gardens: Layer plants in overlapping groups that mimic natural ecosystems, allowing for controlled self-seeding and spread of plants over time. Let plants spill over the edges of footpaths and other hardscape features, softening their edges and blurring the line between natural and human use.
• Xeric gardens: Replicate desert or prairie ecosystems with plants in informal groups. Incorporate weathered features like boulders or wood that appear to have been shaped by the elements over time, and use locally-sourced gravel as mulch to enhance the sense of place and natural evolution.
• Meadow gardens: Weave together grasses and perennials in seemingly random patterns. Mown or gravel foot paths meander through the garden more like game trails than designed elements, while seating areas feel like natural clearings inside taller vegetation.
• Vegetable gardens: Interplant edibles with pollinator-friendly flowers, blurring the lines between ornamental and productive plants. Allow herbs and self-seeding vegetables like dill, cilantro, and arugula to establish themselves where they volunteer, creating a productive ecosystem that celebrates the beauty of natural abundance.
• Rock gardens: Mimic alpine slopes or rocky outcroppings with partially-buried stones that look like they emerged from the landscape. Allow plants to spill over edges and self-seed in crevices, creating the impression of a miniature ecosystem rather than a deliberate arrangement.
• Water gardens: Shape your water feature with irregular edges that blur the boundary between water and land. Weathered logs, strategically placed stones, and mixed plant communities create the impression of a woodland stream or prairie pond that have always been a part of the landscape.
• Meditation gardens: Loose, informal plant arrangements make the garden feel like it’s nestled somewhere in the wild, while a pared-back, soft-textured plant palette maintains a sense of protected intimacy that honors the purpose of a meditation garden.