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.
