Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

What Is Naturalistic Gardening and Why It Might Change How You Garden Forever

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May 06, 2025 1:00am

55m

How do you create a natural garden? Is that even possible? I want to bring you to the style of garden that’s not only sustainable but also more resilient, and honestly, more fun. In fact, it might even be the future of gardening. Natural or naturalistic garden is an approach that’s all about working with nature instead of trying to control it. To help explain this topic, I brought on my dear friend, Kelly D Norris, a renowned horticulturalist, award-winning plantsman, and the author of  Your Natural Garden.


In this episode, we learn:

  • [02:40] How did Kelly get started with gardening?
  • [07:46] What is a natural garden?
  • [09:06] What are "native plants" in natural gardening?
  • [13:42] How does ecological landscape design look in different settings?
  • [15:43] Coolibar
  • [17:42] Wind River Chimes
  • [19:30] Ecological landscape designs
  • [22:41] How to measure direct sunlight
  • [29:04] Rewilding and selecting plants
  • [31:18] Dovetail Workwear
  • [33:08] Espoma Organic
  • [34:27] Regional plant palettes and resources
  • [39:12] How does ecological gardening vary across US regions?
  • [40:23] How to create ecosystems for wildlife
  • [44:20] Tips for achieving a natural garden
  • [47:37] "Aesthetics of ecology" and "ecology of aesthetics"
  • [52:01] Where can you find Kelly and his book online?


Mentioned in our conversation:


Interested in taking the first steps in creating a natural garden?

Check out the full show notes and blog here!


Follow Kelly:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn


Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Coolibar

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