How to Landscape Like Nature Does
How does naturalistic landscaping differ from traditional landscaping? The answer: more plants, in layers, and in a community. That’s how nature landscapes.
“That’s a lot of plants!”
Simon Payn, owner of Highlands ecological landscaping company Grounded, says he’s heard that a few times this year.
He had almost 2,000 arrive in the parking lot of Lucas House in Haliburton in May. And then another 800 shortly after.
“It is a lot of plants,” says Payn. “But you need a lot of plants if you’re doing it right.”
Grounded creates ecological landscapes by using native species and planting them in a naturalistic way. It helps fix up shorelines, replace lawns or cover septic leach beds in greenery.
Payn says you only have to look at nature and realize that nature uses a lot of plants.
“I helped a turtle cross Kennaway Road this week and spent a few minutes looking at the plants around the wetland the turtle was heading to,” he says. “If you look carefully, you notice there are many different plants per square foot, some hugging the ground, others growing taller.
“All of them are working together to create habitat – an ecosystem.”
The owner of Grounded says using a lot of plants is what differentiates naturalistic landscaping from traditional landscaping.
“If you look at planted areas, particularly in municipal or corporate settings, you see plants spread out, surrounded by mulch,” he says. “But nature isn’t like that.
“Plants find their own way and rub along together just fine. They have different growth habits so, for example, they’re not necessarily competing for root space or access to sunlight, even though they’re occupying the same patch of ground.”
Dense, layered, community
Payn says he has three rules about natural landscaping: plant densely, plant in layers, and create a community.
“I use small plants and put them in the ground no more than 12 inches apart, sometimes closer,” says. “Then when they establish, they’re touching each other, shading out the ground and stopping plants you don’t want from growing.”
The landscaper designs in layers. “I have a groundcover layer, which might be grasses or sedges, or some kind of ground-hugging plant. Then I have a vignette layer, where you get different flowers poking up at different times of the year. And finally, in most situations, I have a structure layer of plants that stay pretty much the same all season. These might be ferns or shrubs.”
Payn says doing this, and by choosing complementary plants, he’s creating a kind of community.
“I’m not going to claim I’m creating a complete ecosystem,” he says. “But I’m getting close to it.”
The gardener says this is one way that helps a new landscape succeed. “It means you reduce the chances of things you don’t want, and also means you get to a low-maintenance situation more quickly.”
It starts with one plant
But isn’t using a lot of plants expensive? Payn says he chooses young, small plants. “Native plant growers sell these young plants quite cheaply. It’s actually quite amazing how many plants you can get for your money, particularly if you’re prepared to buy lots of the same species. They’re easier to put in the ground, too.”
While the Grounded owner is a big fan of using lots of plants, he says just using one plant is better than using none.
“It all starts with one plant. Put it in the ground and see what happens. Maybe you’ll see a butterfly or wasp on that plant and fall in love with native plants.”
Payn says nature is wise, and the closer we get to doing what nature does, the better it is for nature and for us too.
“Imagine what would happen if we used enough plants to bring nature back to our landscapes all over Haliburton County and across Ontario!
“Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
This advertorial first appeared in The Highlander on August 22, 2024.