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.
Photography by Rachel McGinn, courtesy of Hadley Peterson.
“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.
An entire bed of mountain mint looks right at home with traditional turf grass, clipped boxwood, and pachysandra.
1. Think masses, not mixes.
2. And plant them densely.
The added benefit of a densely planted garden is fewer weeds.
“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.
The hard lines created by the bluestone patio add order and formality to the garden design. Likewise, the bluestone patio’s crisp, straight edges helps add order to the overall look of the yard.
3. Aim for clean lines.
The boxwood hedge contrasts with the soft mounds f the switchgrass (at right) and Amsonia hubrichtii (center right).
4. And clean-lined hedges, too.
“Just like house decor, I love a mix of styles,” says Peterson.
5. Seek out native evergreens.
American arborvitae, native to eastern North America, acts as a green fence in Peterson’s yard.
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.
Tuteurs and oversized terra-cotta pots channel a more traditional garden. 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.
7. Create contrast.
Oak leaf hydrangea and ostrich fern soften the perimeter planting of arborvitae. Along the perimeter, Peterson planted oak leaf hydrangea and ferns in front of the arborvitae privacy screen.
8. Know your natives’ weaknesses.
In winter, when the hydrangea is bare, greenery continues courtesy of the evergreens around it. 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.