A naturalistic garden using perennials can be easily transformed into a garden for all seasons and enjoyed all year long.
It does not take a genius to design a natural garden; however, some planning beforehand may be wise. Get to know the various types of native plants that may already be growing within your landscape. This makes it easier when you begin choosing plants that will eventually be added to your garden. You always want to ensure that any chosen plant will thrive in its new environment as well as complement its surrounding landscape.
Creating a natural perennial garden that is full of seasonal interest from spring through winter entails the simple planning and placement of long-lasting bloomers with foliage plants and the occasional focal point for additional interest. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area surrounded by woodlands, this type of garden will look right at home.
Try not to overlook the plant's leaves when choosing perennials for a natural garden. While flowers make the garden intense with color, foliage can create contrast and texture. This draws attention to the area, especially during non-blooming periods. However, combining foliage plants with those of different flowering seasons ensures that there will be something continually in bloom.
Plant spring-flowering perennials throughout the garden; but take care to keep them toward the middle or near the back. This will allow you to hide them with cover-up plants, such as hosta, daylily, or Russian sage, once their blooms have faded. Some favorites for spring blooming include iris, phlox, anemone, sweet violet, and Virginia bluebells. Summer-flowering plants take over once spring blooms fade away. Choices to consider for summer might include campanula, Shasta daisy, flax, golden star, and goat's beard. Use these to camouflage the fading spring blooms to create nonstop flowering. Interplanting with ever-lasting perennials, such as Russian sage, yarrow, and salvia, will also guarantee a succession of blooms while helping to promote seasonal interest during the months to follow.
Once autumn arrives, your natural garden will maintain its appeal with the addition of fall-flowering perennials. Popular picks are asters, goldenrod, chrysanthemums, sedum, and Joe pye weed. Other points of interest during fall come from the color-changing leaves of trees, shrubs, and various foliage plants and ornamental grasses. The bronze-colored stalks of gayfeathers can also be quite striking in the autumn garden. Winter wonder takes its place with the interesting, colorful seed heads from blue false indigo, purple coneflower, and sedum. Evergreens and groundcovers will liven up the landscape as well with various shades of color. Ajuga cultivars with purple or bronze foliage make lovely additions.
When it comes to foliage plants, there are many to choose from. Some of my personal favorites include ferns, hostas, and liriope mixed with bluebells and Siberian iris; Artemisia intermingled with asters and purple coneflower; or lamb's ear planted alongside iris and sedum.
Various focal points such as benches, fountains, and ornaments, which are placed sparingly, will also enhance the appearance and natural beauty of this type of garden. As long as you keep the plants you choose within the natural scheme of your own landscape and incorporate various seasonal bloomers into the garden, you can enjoy nonstop flowering and natural beauty every day of the year.
