Designing A Native Plant Garden

Develop a focal point.

Designing a native plant garden. According to those not versed in native plants grasses tend to grow long and free while wildflowers struggle to make a visual impact. With the right garden design you can use native plants to establish the landscape of your dreams. A compass plant would be way too tall.

It can be edged with limestone brick or some other natural material. While a field converted to a meadow or prairie certainly is appropriate in some cases native gardens gain definition and public acceptance when they have definite shape borders and walkways. So if your display bed is six feet wide choose plants that are no more than three feet tall.

Keep your plants in scale. For additional interest include a focal point of some kind. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area surrounded by woods then a woodland garden will look right at home.

Of course in keeping with the natural loosely managed spirit of a native garden the shape should be organic and irregular without straight edges. Bold textured plants appropriate statuary or a structure such as a viewing arbor can serve as a focal point. Giving your garden a distinct shape can also make it easier to map a garden plan on paper.

Plant two to four species in broad sweeping masses or drifts that repeat throughout the planting area. Good garden design starts with a focal point. Choose plants that don t grow taller than half the bed width.

The truth however is that native plant gardens can provide bountiful beauty and visual appeal. When creating natural gardens try not to overlook the plant s leaves when choosing native garden plants.