Wild: The Naturalistic Garden

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The aesthetic of the New Perennial garden is rooted in plant selection with an eye to both ecology and design. While larger areas of naturalistic planting can look good with very little flower colour, Michael thinks that ‘floral glamour’ is more important in smaller spaces. The season of interest is extended by a “hands off' maintenance regime, leaving seed heads and plant silhouettes in place through winter.

Wild by Noel Kingsbury, Claire Takacs | Waterstones

Image credit: Mazzullo + Russell Landscape Design / Eva Nemeth) The best plants to use in a naturalistic planting design Meadow Nord in late May featuring Penstemon “Pocahontas,” Zizia aurea (golden alexander), and Monarda bradburiana (Bradbury’s bergamot). (photo: Kelly Norris) Followers of prominent garden designers will love this book, as it features the work of key figures such as Great Britain’s Dan Pearson, France’s Olivier Filippi and Sean Hogan from the US. Anyone with a general interest in gardening, botany, design or the applied arts will find much to admire in the great beauty and variety contained within Wild, featuring as it does small urban spaces in the antipodes through to private gardens in continental Europe, as well as wide-open, meadowy gardens in the UK and US. The Penstemon “Pocahontas” moment (shown here with Allium atropurpureum and Zizia aurea in the foreground) in early June in Kelly’s front-yard meadow. (photo: Kelly Norris) Oudolf Field, Hauser & Wirth, Bruton, Somerset, England. Designer: Piet Oudolf. Photography by Claire TakacsA stunning exploration of one of the hottest trends in garden design, nature-based planting with an eco-aware approach, featuring the work of leading designers such as Sean Hogan, Piet Oudolf, and Dan Pearson 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 That’s because pattern and repetition are so important in this style of planting. And in a smaller space, there’s less opportunity for pattern and repetition. (That’s why it’s important to use fewer types of plants – so you can repeat them!) But hard landscaping is less important The most critical thing is to make sure that the plants around ornamental grasses are the height of their foliage not the height of their flowers,’ he advised. ‘You need the flowers or seedheads to be above the level of the planting around it.’

All you need to know about Wild: The Naturalistic Garden

RIBA Books is owned by the Royal Institute of British Architects and offers a range of the best architecture, design and construction books from around the world.

Rooted in plant selection

Tony Spencer and The New Perennialist, 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any written material or photography herein without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Tony Spencer and/or The New Perennialist with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Naturalistic planting design is both aesthetically pleasing, with a lovely softness to the planting, but also benefits the soil and encourages wildlife and biodiversity in the garden, which is so important today,' says landscape designer Libby Russell. Transform your garden with these easy DIY tips and creative ideas. From a bare yard to a flower-filled space – all on a budget! If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. 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.