Naturalistic planting uses ecological principles — plant community dynamics, niche occupancy, stress tolerance — to guide garden design rather than purely aesthetic or horticultural criteria. Per Penn State Extension, the core shift is from asking "what looks good?" to "what will grow together successfully under these specific conditions?"
This approach draws on the academic work of researchers including Nigel Dunnett (University of Sheffield), Richard Hansen (Germany), and the broader New Perennial Movement, as well as on the ecological models developed in landscape ecology.
The ecological basis
Per Penn State Extension and Dunnett and Hitchmough (The Dynamic Landscape, 2004), natural plant communities are organized by:
- Stress tolerance: Species that survive low-resource conditions (drought, poor soil, shade, flooding) occupy niches that others cannot
- Competitive exclusion: When resources are ample, fast-growing competitive species eventually dominate and displace less competitive ones
- Disturbance dependence: Some species establish only on disturbed ground; without disturbance, they are outcompeted
Garden design that ignores these dynamics fails over time — either through aggressive plants taking over, or through inappropriate species declining.
Site analysis as the foundation
Before plant selection, per Drawing a Landscape Plan: Site Analysis (UGA Extension), characterize:
- Light: Hours of direct sun per day (full sun = 6+; partial sun = 3—6; shade = under 3)
- Soil moisture: Consistently dry, average, moist, or wet (flooding-tolerant)
- Soil type: Sandy/well-drained vs. clay/poorly drained vs. loam
- Soil pH: Acidic (below 6), neutral (6—7), or alkaline (above 7)
- Disturbance history: Was the area recently disturbed (exposed soil)? Or established sod/mulch?
- Surrounding context: Adjacent woodland, open field, existing trees that will shade the area as they mature
Plant functional groups
Per Hansen and Stahl's classification system (German reference), updated in Rainer and West (Planting in a Post-Wild World, 2015), plants in a community perform different functional roles:
Ground cover / weavers
- Cover bare soil; suppress weeds by canopy closure
- Examples: Geranium spp., Carex spp., Epimedium, Waldsteinia, Calamintha
- Select based on: soil moisture, shade tolerance, ability to spread to fill gaps
Matrix plants
- Form the "background" carpet through which structural plants emerge
- Examples: Sporobolus heterolepis, Schizachyrium scoparium, Festuca spp., Muhlenbergia capillaris
- Select based on: match to site conditions; non-aggressive spread; visual neutrality
Structural plants
- Provide height, form, and seasonal anchor
- Examples: Panicum virgatum, Calamagrostis × acutiflora, Rudbeckia maxima, Actaea, Baptisia
- Select based on: winter silhouette; predictable, non-invasive spread; site tolerance
Feature plants
- Provide peak ornamental interest; focal points within the matrix
- Examples: Echinacea purpurea, Helenium, Sanguisorba, Amsonia
- Select based on: long ornamental season (bud through seedhead); site match; deer resistance where needed
Fillers / successional plants
- Short-lived perennials or self-seeding biennials/annuals that fill gaps in the community while longer-lived plants establish
- Examples: Verbena bonariensis, Dipsacus (teasel), Digitalis purpurea, Oenothera spp.
- Select based on: ability to self-seed in the specific conditions; non-invasive; manageable
Plant selection by site type
Per NC State Extension, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society guidelines, and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center:
Dry, sunny, poor soil (most challenging for conventional gardening; ideal for naturalistic)
- Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) — native grass; xeric; high ecological value
- Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beardtongue) — white flowers; deer resistant; native
- Salvia azurea (azure sage) — native; sky-blue flowers; very drought tolerant
- Liatris spicata (blazing star) — native; zones 3—9; drought tolerant once established
- Baptisia australis (false indigo) — native; drought tolerant after year 3 establishment
- Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed) — native; very drought tolerant; monarch host
Moist, sunny (riparian or rain garden)
- Vernonia noveboracensis (ironweed) — native; purple flowers; September; zones 5—9
- Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower) — native; hummingbird plant; moist to wet
- Lobelia siphilitica (great blue lobelia) — native; moist to wet; shade tolerant
- Spartina pectinata (prairie cord grass) — native; wet tolerant; architectural
- Filipendula rubra (queen of the prairie) — native; pink plumes; moist to wet
Dry shade (most difficult site type)
- Carex pensylvanica — native sedge; most reliable dry-shade ground cover in eastern US
- Epimedium spp. — non-native; extremely resilient in dry shade; several species
- Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern) — native; evergreen; dry to average shade
- Amsonia hubrechtii (Arkansas bluestar) — native; narrow foliage; fall color; tolerates partial dry shade
Partial shade, moist
- Actaea spp. (bugbane/cimicifuga) — native; late summer white flowers; structural
- Thalictrum spp. — native and non-native species; airy texture; late summer
- Astilbe — non-native; shade-moist garden standard; feathery plumes
- Cimicifuga simplex 'Brunette' — dark foliage; white late flowers; October in zone 6
Density and spacing
Per Rainer and West, naturalistic planting uses closer spacing than traditional perennial borders:
- Ground cover layer: 12 inches on center (covers in 1—2 seasons)
- Matrix layer: 18 inches on center
- Structural layer: 24—36 inches depending on species mature width
The intent is to achieve canopy closure quickly, which suppresses weeds and creates the "community" effect. Mulch fills the gap in year 1; by year 2, the plants should fill in.
Common design errors
| Error | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Planting competitive species in stressful sites | Aggressive species succeed and eliminate diverse planting | Match competitive species to high-resource conditions only |
| Planting stress-tolerant species in rich soil | They spread aggressively and become weedy | Plant stress-tolerant species in lean, dry conditions |
| Ignoring disturbance | Post-disturbance opportunists colonize bare ground | Eliminate weed seed bank before planting; use dense planting |
| Single-species masses | Less resilient to pest/disease; lower ecological value | Mix at least 3—5 species in every functional layer |
Frequently asked questions
Is naturalistic planting the same as "low maintenance"? Per Penn State Extension, no — the maintenance is different rather than absent. Year 1 requires active weed management. Year 2—3 requires monitoring and minor interventions. By year 3—5, an established naturalistic planting typically requires less intervention than a traditional perennial border. The annual maintenance event (cutback in late winter) is significant but concentrated.
Can I do naturalistic planting in a small garden? Yes, but scale affects legibility. Per Penn State Extension, the minimum effective scale for a matrix planting is about 150 sq ft. In smaller spaces, the principles still apply (match plants to site conditions; use functional groups) but the visual "community" effect is less pronounced.
How do I deal with deer in a naturalistic planting? Deer pressure fundamentally shapes plant selection in many eastern US landscapes. Per Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings, consistently resistant plants include ornamental grasses, Calamintha, Baptisia, Agastache, Salvia nemorosa, native sedges, and Amsonia. The Oudolf palette must be adjusted for deer zones; many of Oudolf's European favorites (many Helenium, many Rudbeckia) are heavily browsed.
What I'd do differently
I've tried naturalistic planting principles in a section of my zone 7a Long Island yard — a roughly 200 sq ft area that runs along a privacy fence in part shade. The first year was harder than I expected because the weed seed bank was deep. I spent more time pulling garlic mustard and bittercress than I did on anything else. Per Penn State Extension, eliminating the weed seed bank before planting is the foundational step, and I skipped it in a rush to get plants in the ground.
What worked: Carex pensylvanica as the ground layer. It filled in reliably in two seasons, and once it closed the canopy, weeding dropped to maybe 15 minutes a month. What struggled: Baptisia australis took three years to become anything worth looking at, which is normal per the literature, but patience is required.
The deer pressure on Long Island changes the palette significantly. Many of the standard Oudolf plants — Helenium, some Rudbeckia — get browsed hard. I've had better results with Sporobolus heterolepis, Schizachyrium scoparium, and catmint as the matrix, which deer leave alone.
Sources
- Penn State Extension — Naturalistic planting
- Penn State Extension — Planting in a post-wild world
- NC State Extension — Drawing a Landscape Plan: Site Analysis (UGA Extension)
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center — Native plant database
- Rutgers NJAES — Deer-resistant plants
- Xerces Society — Pollinator-supporting plants