Garden Design (2015)
Naturalistic planting
Naturalistic-style planting is injected into a formal rose garden with Miscanthus and Molinia grasses.
DESIGN BY WILSON MCWILLIAM
ECHOING THE PRAIRIES of the American Midwest, flower meadows in Britain and Mediterranean scrublands, naturalistic planting looks to nature for inspiration. Plants are massed together to form cushions of colour and texture, and although this style is often used in large gardens, it can be evolved to work in smaller spaces too.
Mirroring nature
The last decade has seen a revolution in garden styles, one of the most significant being the trend in naturalistic planting. By this we mean ornamental plants designed to emulate natural plant communities, with the use of repeated drifts of herbaceous and evergreen perennials and smaller ground-cover plants, together with shrubs and sometimes trees on larger sites. The habitats evoked include grassy British meadowland, American prairie, shrubby Mediterranean garrigue and maquis, and South African fynbos.
Techniques involve the use of perennials with tough constitutions that are able to withstand heavy rain, wind or drought without collapsing or requiring support. Plants are also chosen to best survive the prevailing environmental and soil conditions without the use of fertilisers or maintenance, such as staking. Many also have single blooms that resemble wild plants, with the mass effect, rather than individual floral perfection, the primary visual objective. In addition, single, open flowers provide valuable sources of food for wildlife, such as bees, butterflies and other insects, while the minimal use of fertilisers and intensive horticultural practices also makes naturalistic planting more sustainable and easier to maintain.
“For naturalistic planting with grasses, transparency is a key consideration, allowing other flowering species to be glimpsed through them. Try Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’, Molinia ‘Heidebraut’, and Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, which remains tall and vertical well into the winter months.”
ANDREW WILSON
Natural planting choices
Instead of planting in rows or small groups, as you would in a flowerbed, the plants in naturalistic schemes are set out in drifts of contrasting colours, forms and textures, with paths weaving among the flowers and foliage. Planting can be colour themed or a riotous assembly of tones, but the palette is normally limited to just a few species, which are then repeated throughout the scheme.
Plants must be robust and able to fend for themselves without pampering, but not so aggressive that they swamp their neighbours. Also select long-flowering varieties that provide a succession of colour and interest throughout the year. Try the early flowering perennials Helleborus argutifolius, Euphorbia characias, Geum and hardy geraniums, underplanted with alliums that will tower over them as they emerge in late spring. In summer, hardy Salvia, Crocosmia, Helenium, Echinacea and Achillea are all good options, with the larger varieties of Kniphofia, Eryngium, Rudbeckia and Veronicastrum providing accents. In autumn, asters continue the display, with dying stems of earlier flowering forms also providing interest.
Grasses are an important ingredient in naturalistic schemes. Mirroring the landscapes of the American prairies, some designers use a mix of grasses to produce ethereal effects, while others balance grasses with flowering perennials to create schemes of a more colourful character. Upright grasses, such as Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, Miscanthus sinensis, Molinia and Stipa are useful in naturalistic schemes; their leaves and flowers ripple in the breeze, giving motion and drama to designs, while the seedheads last throughout autumn and into winter, at the end of which all the plants are cut back.
“Many naturalistic borders peak in late summer and benefit from a planted backdrop of shrubs and climbers that add shape, colour and often fragrance earlier in the season, such as Philadelphus ‘Belle Etoile’, Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’, Elaeagnus ‘Quicksilver’, Rosa glauca, honeysuckle and the viticella clematis.”
HELEN ELKS-SMITH
Mediterranean inspirations
Plants from Mediterranean climates offer solutions for locations that periodically suffer droughts and relatively mild winters. Many herbs, including sage, lavender and rosemary, hail from the Mediterranean, and make colourful contributions to naturalistic planting schemes. Good choices include purple and variegated sage and the various forms of French lavender, Lavandula stoechas, as well as silver-leaved shrubs, like Cistus and Helichrysum. Most Mediterranean species need full sun and free-draining soil to thrive, and will suffer in cold, wet winters, which cause their roots to rot. However, towns and cities in damp regions can provide perfect settings, if the plants are grown in gravel or raised beds filled with sandy soil.
NATURALISING BULBS
Bulbs are prime ingredients of many naturalistic plantings, filling spaces with early colour before the perennials get into their stride. Snowdrops, crocuses, narcissi and muscari provide colour in succession from January to May. Except for a few species, tulips are not good for naturalising, as they need a summer baking and require constant replanting. Early summer is dominated by alliums, their bobbly heads in shades of pink, purple and white. These bulbs are popular with designers and come in an astonishing range of flower forms and heights, from dwarfs just a few inches high to stout giants on 1.2m (4ft) stems with heads 15cm (6in) across. Crocosmias are summer mainstays, the flowers infusing schemes with shades of yellow, red, apricot and orange, and adding extra pizzazz to other hot colours. Many of these bulbs will naturalise and clump up or gently spread via self-sown seedlings.
Key naturalistic plants
Achillea millefolium and A. filipendulina varieties; Agastache rugosa varieties; Allium sphaerocephalon; Anemanthele lessoniana; Angelica gigas; Astrantia ‘Roma’; Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’; Eryngium yuccifolium and E. x zabellii; Echinacea purpurea varieties; Helenium autumnale varieties; Inula magnifica; Knautia macedonica; Molinia caerulea ‘Edith Dudszus’ and M. c. ‘Transparent’; Panicum virgatum varieties; Pennisetum orientale ‘Tall Tails’; Persicaria amplexicaule ‘Fire Tails’; Rudbeckia fulgida; Salvia nemorosa varieties; Sanguisorba officinalis ‘Red Thunder’; Sedum telephium ‘Matrona’; Sporobolus heterolepis; Stipa gigantea and S. tenuissima; Verbascum species, Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Fascination’
CULTIVATION NOTES
The soil requirements for naturalistic plantings depend on the style you are trying to emulate, but perennial-rich schemes require moist but well drained soil and full sun or partial shade. Allow spent flowers and grasses to form seedheads and leave them standing over winter; cut down the stems in spring to allow new growth to develop, leaving the spring bulb foliage and flowers intact.
Mediterranean schemes require free-draining soil and a site in full sun. In clay-rich areas, grow plants in raised beds filled with gritty soil-based compost. Trim shrubby plants to shape in spring.
Erect spires of Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ provide a textural contrast with the long-lasting silky flowerheads of the Mexican feather grass, Stipa tenuissima.
DESIGN BY ACRES WILD
The clean architectural lines of a stone seat and raised planter offer a counterpoint to a medley of ornamental grasses and sedges, enlivened by pointillistic bursts of colour from Echinacea and Achillea.
DESIGN BY LOUISE HARRISON-HOLLAND
Late summer combinations of blue-flowered asters, Perovskia and Verbena bonariensis.
DESIGN BY CATHERINE HEATHERINGTON
Drifts of colourful Helenium and Geranium enliven a border.
DESIGN BY FIONA STEPHENSON
Long-flowering yellow Achillea add focal points to this grass-rich design.
DESIGN BY JILL FENWICK
The button-like flowers of Allium sphaerocephalon and Verbena bonariensis hover over grassy stems.
DESIGN BY HELEN ELKS-SMITH
An informal pathway edged with aromatic herbs meanders through a landscape of contrasting grasses.
DESIGN BY ACRES WILD
Drifts of scarlet bergamot, yellow Achillea, orange-red Helenium and lemon Kniphofia fuse in high summer.
DESIGN BY ROGER WEBSTER
Pale blue salvias and grasses mingle with peach-pink daylilies, orange Kniphofia and white Achillea.
DESIGN BY AMANDA PATTON
Silvery Artemisia creates a dazzling foil for cream Achillea, pink valerian and purple alliums.
DESIGN BY CLEVE WEST
Aromatic low-growing herbs intermingle over pale cobbles in this Mediterranean-style garden.
DESIGN BY ACRES WILD
A parade of Cordyline and silvery Elaeagnus adds a Mediterranean note to this patio.
DESIGN BY HELEN ELKS-SMITH
Cocktails of aromas are released when brushing by the herbs in this sun-soaked garden.
DESIGN BY JAMES BASSON
Echoes of sunnier climes and memories of holidays past are recreated in this dry garden in the country. Cushions of Erigeron karvinskianus draw the eye to an olive tree, which has pride of place.
DESIGN BY SUE TOWNSEND