“A good flower has to look good dead.” This was simple yet eye opening to me. Often, when blooms brown and start to slime over, it feels like a blight. It suddenly changes my garden into a depressing state haha 😆 Whereas my Autumn Joy and Clematis leave intricate structure and pods. Despite acknowledging this, I’ve never made it a priority. I will try that from now on. What a wonderful interview.
One of the best interviews I’ve watched. I’m amazed that so much valuable information was conveyed in only 15 minutes…this is definitely one I’ll be watching again and again. Thank you!
Thanks for another really great video. The three shapes tip of spires, horizontal and then round makes so much sense to me. I keep looking at one of my beds trying to work out why it’s not quite right and realise all the plants are roughly the same height and I don’t have enough texture variation 🤦♀️. Thanks also for taking the time to add in the plant names on screen as it’s so helpful but I imagine creates quite a bit of extra work for you.
I just wanted to say that I love what you do, we recently moved into a new home and your videos have been of so much help, I don't know how ugly my garden would look without you.
Inspirational! I love seeing this concept in climates/countries other than my own. My tiny yard is planted this way but where I live it is called "Florida Friendly." It reduces the amount of water needed & there is no need for insecticides.
Great interview, coming at the right time. Yes, I have been very interested in this style of planting. I am definitely more conscious of my decisions in the garden now. I will probably never have that look overall, but sections of my yard are getting there.
Oh, this is brilliant! You present the strongest garden programmes, Alexandra. 💖💕 And I found this particular one by talking to a friend as we weeded the church garden. We were talking about garden design, R. mentioned the term "engulfed by plants" and a few emails later, here I am watching. Very inspiring, so thank you.
Gorgeous gardens and excellent design advice. One of the best garden design interviews I have seen on RU-vid! I love this garden style and appreciate the opportunity to learn more.
I live in Maine and I’m doing a wildflower/ pollinator garden 2 acres and I also have used of Karl Foester feather grass with the sedums combination. I’m propagating through division and taking cuttings from the sedums and gradually getting my numbers up. So seeing this was great because I have a new set of Feather grass coming and I was wondering whether I should start new areas or if I should just bulk up the ones that I have and I think I have my answer. In creating more plantings together of what I’ve started, and making the areas a little fuller. I believe that will improve what is already working. I love the Matrona Sedums with the Feather grass. I’ve also put Cardona sage with it which the contrast of color is gorgeous. This area is along a path I have going into the woods. I think they both look beautiful against the feather grass and so it’s kind of a foil for really deep color. With the sedum and the Feather grass together, both have winter interest which is saying something in this climate . Thanks for an interesting discussion. Great questions by the way.
These Australian garden interviews are great, especially for gardeners who live in drought prone areas like California. Your questions are excellent, Alexandra, and unlike many people we see on TV, you let your guests complete their thoughts without interjecting. I love your quality content. I have a 16ft tall Mexican Fence Post Cactus, young Palo Verde Trees, and epazote herb growing in my rose garden, which is in shade in the late afternoon. The roses are in large resin planters, with white alyssum shading the roots. We do what we must! :)
I just absolutely love the way that he is including us and his design thinking. Thank you so much for that design instruction. I will watch this several times over. I am going down the path of naturalistic design in my own garden again. I’m in the Midwest so I am knee-deep in Roy Diblik’s book. But it’s fantastic to see the beauty and the basic concepts played out in this Australian landscape. What a fantastic garden. Thank you for sharing it with us
For several years, I have been leaning toward more texture and shape and less toward color. This was such a thoughtful interview and the gardens were absolutely beautiful! Thanks so much for what you do for us.
So articulate and so informative! Even though my climate and growing conditions are very different, the principles that he describes are so translatable. Many thanks 🌱
I use quite a bit of Calamagrostis Karl Foerster grass in my Massachusetts garden. I love the upright form, color and it stays a nice size for a middle sized garden mixing well with perennials.
I just wanted to say thank you for this brilliant interview. I've been planning a border in this sort of style and have watched this video several times now - the advice is just so thoughtfully concise and useful.
Really enjoying your series of Australian videos and seeing plants that are available in my local nurseries, that do well in my climate. A great interview. Thank you Alexandra!
ThIs is pure gold! Precisely what I wish to do in a garden I’ll soon have on the Mediterranean. I will watch it over and over and take detailed notes. Can’t thank you enough. 🙏🏻
Thank you very much for your really helpful videos Alexander. You and your designers are so generous and informative. I particularly liked this one about the relevance of texture, shape and simplicity. Thanks
Very articulate and clear explanations. Great questions, I learned a lot! I also have an arid climate and want to naturalize, and use more decorative grasses. This was extremely helpful!
Wonderful interview! The borders are just my taste. I aim for something similar with a bit more cottage flowers in my own garden. There were so many useful pointers. Thank you for the video! I’ll be rewatching this one again and again.
It’s a stunning style and it was very interesting that he uses no supplemental watering in a dry climate! At the end he briefly mentioned American gardens that are cut back and heavily mulched once a year. Are those prairie gardens? Would love to learn more about that in a future video.
Thank you, this was a great presentation. Lots of very useful information for small or large garden areas. Also talked types of flowers rather than individuals that may or may not work in all our areas. One of my favorite videos among many great videos.
So glad to see this video! Its what i've been envisioning for my secret garden. I've been challenged on how to place plants for a natural look. Def need to get some flowy grasses! 2 years ago i planted pink muhly grass as a show stopper in a different garden. I recommend orchid rock rose. Its a gorgeous drought tolerant with beautiful blooms in spring but otherwise a deep green year round with no maintenance or water from me. I'm in 9b ca.
This was brilliant and just what I needed as I’m going to be removing 6,000sf of lawn and doing gravel (lots of deer in headlights stares when I tell people this). My goal is to build something over time comparable to this, where the plants create interest and make natural borders. I love the grasses! I’m also going to try doing a moss garden in an existing front bed, where I have 2,000sf of lawn. I’m Zone 9a, South Texas. Thanks so much!
A really outstanding interview, and especially helpful for planning a native garden in a somewhat dry climate where it isn't necessarily going to be all about the flowers. Thank you!
Thank you, Alexandra. I think this is the most influential garden video I've ever seen. He really made me look at my garden differently. Wish me luck this year. DA
The conditions in Australia appear to be similar to ours here in coastal North Carolina. My stepdaughter has a new home and is ready to attack the landscaping. I have been steering her toward grasses. I will be sending some screen shots from this video to show her how stunning grasses can be. thanks for the inspiration.
I have used Karl foerster grass in my garden. I absolutely love it. Some of my inspiration has come from my local botanic garden, which seems to have many areas planted with the design principles your guest discusses. He explains things so well. I had several ah ha moments.
I've been trying to achieve this in my border by the sidewalk. It's a work in progress. Sounds like I need more mounded plants. Bloom color can vary with climate, weather and seasons; I agree that trying to get precisely the right color flower is kind of a waste of time.
Thanks for the great video. A stunning garden. Bits of it remind me of Hermannshof in Germany, which is also beautiful. I've read a few books on the subject lately but found this content very useful, particularly the use of the different perennial grasses. Great stuff!
That was an excellent video on garden design, packed with lots of useful knowledge on how many and what to grow to give the best effect. Great work, well done, I shall encourage my students to take a look.
What a great Video, really enjoyed it. I've used "the new perennial" style in my new garden, just waiting for the first year to see if I've got it right.
Love this! We have 6 acres, much of it with grass. The back area, maybe an acre is sandy (no grass). Thinking about starting a naturalistic garden and maybe starting there and if that takes, building on it. I also have a small horse pen that is no longer being used and thinking about trying something there.
