This spring I went camping at Big Spring State Park in southern Missouri. In one day of hiking, I saw 52 species of flowers blooming in the river bottoms, forests, and glades. So much diversity of colors and species and all the bees and butterflies they attract. It is amazing. Mother nature seems to know best how to support a diverse and healthy collection of blooms.
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Once I have caught my breath, I think about this natural display as inspiration for garden design. Some plants like to group up while others are scattered. Some like to grow in a line across the hillside while others dangle their roots in the creek. The magic is hard to understand and even more impossible to reproduce. I grasp what I can and try to put it on paper.
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Naturalistic design mimics nature. Plants drift, there are no straight lines, textures contrast, and layers of green compete for light. We try our best to recreate the beauty we find in wild places and bring it home. But we can’t quite build the same experience.
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As much praise as I get for my garden it is still a poor comparison to preserving a natural area. These beautiful wild spaces are where we find our inspiration and see what nature is capable of. We must visit them often to learn from them and keep them safe for future generations.
