Naturalistic approaches to landscape design

Naturalistic approaches to landscape design involve the replacement of more traditional horticultural maintenance by techniques of vegetation management through the application of ecological awareness and knowledge to design and management of landscape and has been defined as an alternative to the restricted, artificial and expensive creations of conventional design. The naturalistic landscapes may vary in the degree to which native or exotic plants are used, and the extent to which they imitate natural communities and the amount of human intervention. Probably more important is the complexity of the plant communities and the degree to which the plants are able to interact with each other and form dynamic patterns. Hitchmough and Dunnet consider origin of component species and issues revolving around native and non-native species, biodiversity, the use of chemicals in establishment, the structure and appearance of vegetation, and the development of ecological processes as important to the application of the term ‘natural’ to designed vegetation in the urban context. Although naturalistic approaches initially focused on the use of native plants, increasing interest has been shown by landscape professionals in naturalistic plantings of exotic annuals and herbaceous perennials as well as native species in recent years. Impetus has been given to this trend by a number of publications in which the use of exotic species is encouraged to maximize flower color, flowering season and visual diversity in ways that are not possible using just native species by themselves. There are various, subtly differing, reasons given by professionals from both academic and practical platforms for the greater focus on naturalistic or ecological styles in the design and management of urban landscapes. These are involved with the search for landscape solutions to meet complex goals, such as nature conservation, community involvement, environmental education, sustainable development, aesthetic quality and more cost efficient establishment and management. 

Different planting styles have different consequences for sustainability in terms of diversity and dynamism and naturalistic plantings and ecologically inspired planting design are generally seen as more sustainable than traditional planting styles. In most cases, naturalistic planting is also claimed to encourage natural regeneration of spontaneous vegetation on site and allows distinctive urban common vegetation to develop. Furthermore, naturalistic designs contribute to sustainability as they are better associated with community participation in the design process, flexibility over final use and the use of locally derived materials while reducing labour input. Native species often tend to be accepted as most appropriate plants for sustainable planting as they are often seen to be pre-adapted to site conditions and are also assumed to harbour a wide range of associated wildlife. However, whilst native species may be the first choice for the countryside they are not always pre-adapted to urban condition and a more relaxed attitude may be needed in many urban areas (Spray and Spray, 1984 ). Exotic plants have also been part of people’s lives, landscapes and civilizations for a long time especially in Europe and it is therefore important to consider what the public think of as appropriate.

In 1969, Ian McHarg, of the university of Pennsylvania, published his influential book Design with Nature, in which he outlined a theoretical and technical basis for ecologically based planning and design. McHarg stressed the importance of systematic land-use planning according to the relative ecological value and sensitivity of each part of the landscape: “ The distribution of open space must respond to natural process…The problem lies not in absolute area but in distribution. We seek a concept that can provide an interfusion of open space and population.” McHarg’s method was based on a system of transparent map overlays. Each overlay represented a different category of nature feature, such as hydrology, geology, and plant communities.