On a recent walk, I noticed a beautiful boulder in front of Tumel’s pond. A bulky rectangle of rust, cream and ivory striations with a basin on its surface. If Paulie was still with us, I would ask him to haul it to my lawn where a wooden stake would mark the place to put it. Of course, if Paulie was still alive, the boulder would have already been in my yard. He would invariably find interesting rocks during his excavation projects around town, and returning, stop to describe them to me. I never refused the offer. And what would I do with these boulders? Build gardens around them, of course! There’s the mica-flecked glimmering beneath the wisteria arbor, the gray giant sleeping among the prairie grasses, the white boulder anchoring the moon garden. This particular one, with its depression on top to hold water, is perfect for a natural garden.

“The natural garden” is frequently described as an eco-friendly area where native plants compete “for a place in the sun”. Though indigenous vegetation is the essential ingredient, it’s only part of the equation. And while the list of requirements is slim, the kinds of natural gardens are broad and varied, ranging from meadows of wildflowers to woodlands, a glade formed in a copse of pines, or a grotto of ferns and mosses in the crevice of a tree. Some yards provide the suggestion – a small stream, for example, invites a natural garden, a rock out-cropping, or a pond. What’s crucial is working with, rather than against, what’s already there.

One of our gardens sprung in a swampy area where I attempted to soak up the excess water with a pussy willow. When I realized its success in drinking the standing puddles, I planted three other types – the twisted willow, a black pussy willow, and “Coral Embers”, as well as a witch hazel and a dogwood shrub, an enormous maple offering a frame. What a riveting scene these natives present in early spring – the canopy of pearly pussy willows attracting the season’s first honeybees, the tall pillar of twisted willow with its corkscrew twigs rejuvenating in a celery haze, the broom of Coral Embers’ orange branches, the spreading sculpture of black pussy willow, its anthers flecking the catkins scarlet and gold, the crown of sulfur tassels on the flowering witch hazel releasing their astringent scent, the glow of the dogwood’s golden vase, and the rust flowers of the swamp maple providing the backdrop. The plants’ shapes and their subtle hues present a pleasing spiral of color, enhanced with the hum of honeybees and the hazel’s bracing scent.

Plans for the stone are more modest.  Since the rock possesses two important components – structure, and a basin for water — it lends itself to use in a natural garden. A small tree, a river birch or a shadblow, on one side, balanced with a shrubby bush, blueberry or clethra on the other, an ornamental grass across the back, and a sweep of perennials to mirror the circumference of the tree’s canopy – bluebells in spring, daisies and tickseed in summer, wild asters in fall.

The rules for natural gardens are simple, too. They should reflect the landscape, incorporating the view and blending with the surroundings, wide sweeps of flowers reflecting a distant hillside, a cluster of evergreens reflecting distant woods. A space that is not sympathetic to the environs will negate the naturalness sought. The principles of scale, balance and line apply as in all garden design. Trees are always the tallest structures, and the shrubbery or ornamental grasses used to balance them should be a little over half their height, yet substantially bulkier. Steer clear of symmetrical plantings which never exist in nature. One spruce tree is not balanced with another, but rather with a few sprawling junipers. Rely on curves rather than straight lines to delineate the garden’s borders. Plants should spill into the lawn, the garden melding into the yard and into the distance.

The most important component of the garden is, naturally, the plants. Start with native trees and shrubs which provide the frame. Wildflowers are preferable, though old-fashioned perennials and bulbs are also suitable. Quantities are key – one tree, a couple of shrubs, a multitude of flowers. Plant in clumps and in profusion. Limit the selection — compile a list of plants you wish to use and cut it in half. Plant drifts of flowers, and let them flow into the lawn and one another. Balance ornamental grasses with waves of visually strong flowers, such as rudbeckia or echinacea.

Rocks are always welcome in the natural garden where they provide structure and permanence. When employing a boulder, ensure that it’s in scale with other structural plants, trees twice its height, shrubs approximating its bulk, and grasses surrounding a third of its circumference. Stones are sometimes “planted” on a slope to resemble a natural outcropping in a rock garden; and rocks are often strategically “scattered” underneath stonewalls as though they tumbled from them. Our old stonewalls have existed here for centuries, and though they certainly aren’t natural in the strictest sense, they are natural to New England. Newer, rigid versions require transitions to blend with their surroundings. Use rocks found in our environs. This is especially important in the construction of a dry stream, a “river” of rocks spilling into a pool. Only stones like those in a natural stream bed will give the illusion of running water.

Water, though not essential, always enhances the garden. There’s nothing as natural as a brook with mossy stones or a pond with a couple of weeping willows. A fortunate few have these features; the rest of us must install them. Scale is particularly crucial; water must never appear imposed upon the landscape. Consider the vast pasture within which a pond rests, or the small sliver of a stream in the forest. Though stones with natural depressions are rare, they are available for purchase. Alternate receptacles include buckets, troughs or hollowed logs. Recirculating water with a simple spigot and a pail will provide the magical trickle of water.

The only other ornamentation a natural garden might require is a walkway to facilitate navigation through a large garden or a woodland. These should be visible, yet not obtrusive, and employ natural materials such as stepping stones, pebbles, woodchips. We have a path of shredded bark through our woodland garden that never fails to impress. Make sure the path isn’t straight, that it twists through the flowers that should infringe upon it. Natural gardens don’t preclude decoration – human intervention is already evident.  Use natural objects as focal points, like fairy houses in fallen logs, and nestle benches into the foliage.

Lastly, the garden must appeal to multiple senses, just like the places we are drawn to – the cool feel of the forest with its scent of pine, spring’s damp along the river’s edge, the musty rustle of leaves in the woodland’s fall. Yet even with the multi-sensory stimulation of these havens, we are still thrilled to glimpse a heron across the lake, turtles sunning themselves on a log, the flash of fish. Our own natural gardens must invite the honeybees on their quest for nectar, the skim of dragonflies across the surface of water, a visiting humming bird, because the loveliest element of a natural garden is, well, nature.

Dayna McDermott