Wild: The Naturalistic Garden

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Particular attention is also paid to how each plant grows from the roots on down—whether it clumps or runs, and how well it responds to stress and competition. Every detail of a given plant’s habit provides a clue into how well it plays with others and what ecological niches it can fill. Naturalistic planting can offer year round interest, looking good through the seasons, and also provides home to hosts of wildlife. Structure is important: 'A strong underlying structure gives meaning and a sense of place to naturalistic plantings, without which they can look just messy, particularly in winter,' explains Libby Russell. Co-authored by planting design expert Noel Kingsbury and the award-winning photographer Claire Takacs, this new book explores a top trend in garden design: nature-based planting with an eco-aware approach. With an increased focus on sustainability and biodiversity, wild and natural gardens are now being favoured over those with manicured aesthetics. WILD documents this seismic shift, through a global survey of over 40 stunning, diverse gardens that embrace ecology. 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.

Wild by Noel Kingsbury, Claire Takacs | Waterstones Wild by Noel Kingsbury, Claire Takacs | Waterstones

Find out how to prune English lavender to make it look better and last longer. Photos of my lavender from 2013-2023 are proof that it works!The garden featured here is an approximate oval and is about 100ft/30m in diameter. So it’s not a huge space. Michael has created this effect by using a surprisingly small palette of plants, repeated around the garden. I once wondered the very same thing. After years of experimenting in my own northern perennial garden and getting to know some of the plants and people leading the charge, I became seriously inspired to find a way. And in contrast to other plants, Michael says that deciduous grasses are easier than evergreen ones. Deciduous grasses die off in the winter, but they hold their shape. Then in spring, you just cut them completely to the ground and they spring up from new.

Wild, The Naturalistic Garden By Noel Kingsbury | New - Wob Wild, The Naturalistic Garden By Noel Kingsbury | New - Wob

Liatris pycnostachya (prairie blazingstar) in Kelly’s Long Look Prairie (July 2020) (photo: Courtesy of Kelly Norris) Gardeners have long been taught to put the garden to bed at the end of the growing season by cleaning up — but why?The seeds in spent flower heads are food for birds all winter, and beneficial insects, including pollinators, overwinter in hollow stems and plant debris, such as fallen leaves. Get out into the world and visit public gardens that follow a more naturalistic approach. Or just get lost in nature and find your muse there. The layers are planted to knit closely together to cover any open ground, suppress weeds and support invertebrate life. The ideal is to create contrast with a mix of coarse and fine foliage in the layers. Even in a small garden, go for size and scale; too many small plants can read as fussy. Ready. Set. Grow. Gardening in a Changing World: Plants, People and the Climate Crisis, Darryl Moore • Pimpernel Press