Plant Densely and with Purpose

 

Inspiration is meant to be shared. A recent article by Margaret Roach was inspiring to me and I want to share it with you. The article refreshes a concept originally introduced in a book published in 2015, Planting in a Post-Wild World (I reviewed it in this post). The authors of the book, Claudia West and Thomas Ranier, have since created a landscape architecture firm and this article illustrates some of their projects and reminds us of their original message to plant densely and with purpose.

A dense planting of Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' keeps out weeds

The average residential yard is planted sparsely (think lots of mulch) and/or with unproductive plants (to the ecosystem) like lawn. Some lawns are so big that they require hiring mow & blow crews to maintain them, introducing cost to the homeowners, damage to the environment (chemicals), and noise to the neighbors. Why not minimize lawn and maximize flowers? 

Mowed lawn recedes from its wall-to-wall-carpeting role to one of strategically positioned area rugs. “You still have a lawn,” Ranier said. “But the lawn’s a beautiful shape, and it’s defined by planting all around it.” 

Gving up lawn means more room for the plants we love (and that are beneficial to the ecosystem), including some space for our favorites (even if they are not native!). How wonderful if someone traded 20 square feet of lawn for one non-native Camellia and a sweep of native perennials around it.  

“It’s not about tossing things out, because most gardens have underused space. “It’s about letting things in,” Mr. Rainer said. Especially flowering plants — a win for people of all ages, and for wildlife.”

After we’ve reconsidered the lawn, it’s time to reconsider similar sweeps of mulch. True to their book, the designers advocate for planting areas so densely that “Plants are the mulch.” The original purpose of mulch is often to suppress weeds (block out light so weed seeds can’t germinate) and to provide organic enrichment. If the ground is covered in plants, both goals can be accomplished in a more productive way.

Choosing the plants to accomplish all this is the fun part but also requires careful thought. According to the article, the designers consider each plant’s ecological functionality, not just looks.  “A plant’s ecological impact ranks much higher in the decision-making criteria as they develop each planting palette, which includes not just natives, but also nonnatives.” Plenty of natives are in the mix with well-behaved non-native plants only there to add value for pollinators due to their floral power or bloom time.  The article has good examples of plants that they’ve mixed together and great photos. I encourage you to read it in full via this gift link.

A densely planted woodland area at Southern Highlands Reserve