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3. Natural Landscaping Basics
by Jane Scott
We gardeners like to think of ourselves as being in tune with nature, yet how can we view the endless sheared lawns and clipped shrubbery that now blanket our landscapes without being plagued by nagging doubts? Where is the drama of the changing seasons? Where are the birds and butterflies? Where, in fact, is the regional landscape that once defined our very roots?
The Earth is in serious trouble. Everywhere, biodiversity is disappearing. Our landscape is now so fragmented that even preserving every remaining natural area would not be enough. No ecosystem can thrive in isolation; if its plants and animals are to survive long term, they must have avenues of contact with others of their kinds.
The good news is that gardens can provide such avenues. Of course, it is impossible for any man-made landscape to reproduce all the integrity and complexity of an unspoiled ecosystem. Nevertheless, creating gardens that reflect some of the richness of this country's disappearing woods, fields, deserts and prairies cannot help but improve the lots of many native plants and animals.
Unfortunately, there is a widespread impression that one must choose between a biodiverse garden and a beautiful one; that to be ecologically sensible one must live among weedy lots and ragged lawns. Not true. The idea is not simply to allow what will happen to happen, but to actively create the casual, integrated harmony that is found in nature.
In nature, as in human life, harmony depends on healthy communities. An ecological garden, therefore, is one that is built around a particular plant community. This is a revolutionary idea to many gardeners used to selecting plants for purely ornamental reasons and combining them in ways that have little relation to their original habitats. Yet it is one with enormous appeal to those of us who long to help the world environment.
The Earth's natural vegetation is divided into large areas of forest, grassland and desert called Plant Provinces. Each is a plant community on a grand scale, yet each also has many smaller communities within its borders. For instance, the great sea of grass that once covered the central part of this country included both tall- and short-grass prairies as well as riverside communities. In the same way, different groups of plants predominate in "cold" and "hot" deserts of the West, and the kinds of trees found in forests vary according to site and exposure. This natural diversity is further complicated by "succession," meaning the plants presently growing on a previously disturbed site will be replaced over time. All these plant communities, large, small, successional and climax, are determined by soil type, topography, available water and extremes of temperature—the same factors you will consider when making your garden.
Creating an ecological garden, while not easy, can be profoundly satisfying. The aim is to create a private haven for your family that also provides space and support for all the interacting plants and animals that make up a viable natural community.
There are, of course, many ways to create a biodiverse landscape. City gardeners can simply add a few choice natives that are attractive to wildlife to a traditional plan, while in the suburbs, you may opt to reintroduce a piece of the neighborhood's original landscape. Those in more rural surroundings may find they can release an existing community from the grip of alien shrubs and vines by eliminating invasive plants, encouraging others and adding a few as they go along. The following are a few general guidelines for natural landscapers.
Keep the high-maintenance areas close to the house, and plant the natural garden toward the periphery of your property.
Many of us will also want to have a place for traditional garden flowers, herbs or vegetables. Fine—just keep them near the house and increase the degree of wildness as you move outward through the garden. If you need more privacy for the terrace or to screen out an unattractive view, you'll find native plant communities can perform these practical functions as well as traditional exotics can.
Reduce the size of your lawn.
Think of lawn as outdoor living space and keep only as much as you will need. Westerners in very dry areas can usually do away with grass altogether, whereas easterners may find that replacing the front lawn with shrubs, trees, ferns and wildflowers will support more wildlife as well as provide privacy and seasonal interest. In other areas, a low-maintenance prairie or field may be the best choice. If so, keeping the edges mown and cutting paths through the tall grass will make it look groomed rather than neglected.
Get to know your land.
Examine your site carefully, noting the exposure of slopes to sun and prevailing winds as well as the location of any slow-draining areas. Plot the path of sunlight in all seasons of the year. Where is the deepest summer shade and the warmest sun in winter? Is your soil predominantly clay or sand, acid or alkaline? While it is true that a healthy soil is the first requirement for a healthy garden, it does not need to be overly rich; many attractive native communities grow on poor sandy soil. The point is to select plants that are ecologically appropriate for your particular situation. For instance, southern gardeners can choose from a rich native flora well adapted to high heat and humidity, while those in desert areas will find that indigenous plants will thrive without constant watering.
As soon as you have decided on the appropriate community for your garden, go into the field and study it. Pick out a group of plants that seems especially attractive to you, and analyze the lines, forms, colors and textures that make up its underlying pattern. Observe how certain clumps of shrubs and trees create peninsulas or hidden clearings, how edges are rarely abrupt but rather intermingle and blend into one another. Note, too, which species clothe a hillside and which grow along the floodplain of a stream, keeping in mind the high and low spots on your lot.
Notice the shapes and growth habits of the plants that contribute most to a scene's appeal. You may be surprised to discover that the design you like is dominated by a relatively few species. For instance, the pervading character of a dry oak woods, with its understory of huckleberry and laurel, is subtly different from a woods of tulip poplar and dogwood. In an old field that is reverting back to forest, sumac and sassafras form large rounded thickets, while an upright red cedar provides a strong vertical accent.
By now, it will be obvious that designing a garden based on regional native landscapes requires an intimate knowledge of plants. You need to be able to recognize wild species, both native and non-native, at all stages of growth and at all times of the year. This is particularly true for gardeners who are trying to reclaim a neglected field or a young woods from the grip of invasive exotics.
You must also decide whether you want your garden to evolve into something else, or represent a certain stage of succession indefinitely. On a bare lot, for instance, one way to accommodate growth and change might be to plant a grove of young trees and surround them with native grasses and field flowers, introducing shade-loving woodland ferns and wildflowers as the trees grow and their tops intertwine. Or, you could arrest this natural succession by planting only smaller trees such as hawthorn, dogwood or red cedar and mowing periodically to keep out invading woody vegetation. If yours is a very small garden, try pruning a few native viburnums to resemble small trees and surround them with ferns or groundcovers.
Inventory the plants already growing on your land.
Add native plants attractive to wildlife. Take a hard look at the plants already growing on your lot. Decide which will stay, which should go and which can be moved to another location. Don't be shy about this; all true gardens are in a constant state of renewal. On the other hand, unless they show signs of being invasive, there is no reason why some existing exotics cannot be incorporated into your new design. However, when it comes to plants attractive to wildlife, it is important to stick only to natives. Birds and animals spread the seeds of the fruits they eat, making them largely responsible for the scourge of invasive aliens that is now choking out native vegetation virtually everywhere.
Plant in groups.
When it comes to the actual planting plan, think in terms of groups or natural associations of plants instead of a single shrub or tree. Use color-coded stakes—one color for trees, another for shrubs—and outline the groupings with nylon cord. At first, consider only the shapes and sizes of the plants you want: a tall narrow tree here, a more rounded one there or a screen so many feet high. (Remember, you must allow ample room for the mature size of each tree or shrub that will form the bones of your garden, even if the actual plant you install is only three feet high.) At the same time, try to imitate natural relationships: the four layers of a healthy woods, for instance (canopy, understory trees, shrubs and groundcovers), or the intermingling swaths of shrubs, flowers and grasses that are found in a high-quality field. Remember, too, that layered plantings are most attractive to birds, many of which sing, nest and feed at different levels.
Then, choose plants for the cover and food they provide as well as for the beauty of their flowers and foliage so that wild creatues can live and reproduce in your garden. Shun insecticides, and allow room for the insects, leaf litter and dead wood many birds and animals need. Let a few herbaceous plants go to seed, and remember to include larval food plants for butterflies as well as fragrant flowers.
If you follow these guidelines, your garden will not only celebrate each passing season with a variety of form, fruit and flowers, but also will be filled with dancing butterflies, lilting bird song and the hum of bees. Truly, it will be a garden that feeds both the earth and the soul.
Jane Scott is the author and illustrator of Field and Forest: A Guide to Native Plant Communities for the Gardener and Naturalist (Walker and Company) and several other books on natural history and gardening with native plants for both adults and children.