Take a gander at this gorgeously green and traditional garden design by Hadley Peterson and you’d be forgiven if you didn’t notice the native plants. When people think of a native plant-filled garden, they often imagine the naturalistic look of a meadow or a wild-leaning natural woodland, but native plants can also be put to use in more formal landscaping schemes and paired with the most traditional of plants, as Peterson proves in her own backyard.

Native plant purists might bristle at Peterson’s pachysandra and manicured boxwood, but for the many homeowners who have (and like!) a traditional-looking backyard and want to incorporate more natives, Peterson’s Summit, New Jersey, yard is a unique source of inspiration.

Peterson spent years as a commuter with limited time to garden before turning to landscape design, so she understands what her clients crave. “Not many of my clients want a high-maintenance garden,” she says. “I like native plants for the texture they add to the garden,” she says. “But when selecting plants for a project, I look first at the personalities of my clients and their homes,” she says. “I take all my cues from the interiors and architecture: If someone has a really funky taste that marries with a naturalist design, I would take that and do a more native garden.”

Here are 8 lessons for using native plants in a more formal landscape from Hadley Peterson:

Photography by Rachel McGinn, courtesy of Hadley Peterson.

1. Think masses, not mixes.

“I plant native plants in bold masses,” says Peterson. “Natives plants as on-offs can look like they could be weeds, when you put them in a mass, it feels so much more intentional.” In this section of the garden, Peterson planted three raised planting beds, each with one plant type: Pycnanthemum muticum (mountain mint), Amsonia hubrichtii (bluestar), and Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ (switchgrass).

2. And plant them densely.

In order to get a more lush look, Peterson errs on the side of too close together rather than too far apart when planting. “I pack them in—if something is meant to be planted two feet apart, I might plant them 18 inches apart for a denser feeling,” she says.

3. Aim for clean lines.

Those masses of plants look more formal in part because of the crisp edges of the beds. Something as simple as edging a straight line where the turf grass meets the garden bed can help natives appear more formal. Likewise, the bluestone patio’s crisp, straight edges helps add order to the overall look of the yard.

4. And clean-lined hedges, too.

Peterson planted the more textural native plants against a backdrop of clipped boxwood hedges. “Just like house decor, I love a mix of styles,” says Peterson. “To me, juxtaposing natives with formal garden elements creates a more interesting design.” While boxwood is not native, she notes that it is evergreen, deer-resistant, and non-invasive.

5. Seek out native evergreens.

Peterson likes to have a strong evergreen presence in all her designs, so her clients aren’t looking out at mulch all winter. A privacy screen of American arborvitae provides a continuous green backdrop to Peterson’s yard. A common choice for suburban screening, arborvitae, also known as Eastern white cedar, is native to the Northeast and Western Great Lakes. Other evergreen natives include American holly and inkberry (though Peterson cautions that inkberry, which is often suggested as an alternative for boxwood, gets too leggy to have the lush clipped look of boxwood).

6. Add formal garden objects.

The quickest way to add formality to a wild-leaning mass of native plants is to insert a geometric or traditional garden decoration, like the sculptural tuteurs seen in Peterson’s garden. “A tuteur with a traditional clematis climbing up it brings it back and gives it that formality,” she says. Likewise, selecting more traditional outdoor furniture can formalize the overall effect.

7. Create contrast.

Along the perimeter, Peterson planted oak leaf hydrangea and ferns in front of the arborvitae privacy screen. The contrast of their textures elevates both plants. “The native plants soften the edges,” she says. “The oak leaf and the ferns, they immediately make the arborvitae feel completely different.”

8. Know your natives’ weaknesses.

As with all plants, you need to be strategic with how and where you employ natives. For example, Peterson likes to put wispy natives behind a hedge, to hide the leggier base of the plants. Many natives that Peterson loves, like fothergilla for instance, have amazing multi-season interest, but will look bare come winter, so she’ll place them near an evergreen shrub. The oak leaf hydrangea that sit behind her Adirondack chairs won’t leave a bare view come winter thanks to the arborvitae behind and two balls of boxwood in the foreground.

See also:

• Hardscaping 101: Hedges
• Landscape Ideas: Boxed in by Boxwood? 5 Shrubs to Try Instead
• Ask the Expert: How to Grow Native Plants in Containers