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Experimentation in landscape design means treating a planting as an evolving system: match plants to the site, establish a strong structural layer, fill around it, observe what actually happens, and revise the garden as it matures. That is the central lesson in the American Society of Landscape Architects interview “Experimentation: The Nature of Design”, in which planting designer Austin Eischeid describes how practical trials, mentorship and repeated observation shaped his method.
For a construction project, this approach turns a planting plan from a fixed list into a stewardship process. It clarifies what must be decided before installation, what should be documented during establishment, and what the owner or maintenance team must continue managing afterward. It also avoids a common mistake: assuming a naturalistic garden will maintain itself once the crew leaves.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesWhat does experimentation mean in landscape design?
Experimentation is not random planting. It is a disciplined cycle of proposing a combination, watching how it behaves in a particular place, and changing the design in response. Eischeid describes learning this way through vegetables, roses, sedums, annuals, perennials and grasses in his family’s garden. His horticulture and landscape-design education gave him plant knowledge, but hands-on work and mentorship taught him that a plant can behave differently in an actual garden than a textbook description suggests.
That distinction matters on construction projects. A drawing can show mature relationships, but the installed landscape begins with small plants, disturbed soil, changing moisture and an incomplete plant community. The design therefore needs both an installation plan and a way to learn from the first seasons. The most useful records are simple: where each plant was installed, when it was planted, how quickly it spread, whether it flopped or stood upright, and how it interacted with its neighbors.
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Experimentation also gives a project team permission to edit. A plant that proves too aggressive, too short-lived or poorly suited to the exposure is not a failure of the entire design. It is information that can guide a replacement or a change in spacing.
Why is practical observation as important as plant knowledge?
Plant names and catalogue descriptions provide a starting point, not a guarantee. The same species may respond differently to shade, reflected heat, drainage, soil disturbance, irrigation and competition from neighboring plants. Eischeid’s account places observation alongside formal education because real performance is revealed in the relationship between a plant and its site.
For designers and builders, that means the plant schedule should be read together with the site conditions. Before approving a substitution, ask whether the replacement belongs to the same intended community, occupies the same layer, tolerates the same moisture pattern and contributes the same seasonal role. A visually similar flower may not have the same spread, winter structure or maintenance implications.
Observation should continue after handover. A short log with photographs at installation, after the first growing season and during winter can reveal changes that are easy to miss in day-to-day maintenance. It also gives the owner evidence for deciding whether a plant needs more room, a different watering approach or removal.
How do you create a naturalistic perennial garden?
A practical sequence is to define the site, build a plant wish list, place the structural plants, fill the gaps, plan for all seasons, and then manage the planting as it develops. The following steps adapt Eischeid’s described method into a construction-ready workflow.
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- Write a site brief. Record the conditions that will govern plant behavior: sun and shade, wet and dry zones, wind, slopes, views, circulation, utilities and the intended use of the space. Note where people need clear sightlines or access for maintenance. This brief is more useful than beginning with a favourite plant list because it establishes the constraints that the list must satisfy.
- Build a wish list that fits the environment. List plants that suit the site and the intended plant community, then note their likely roles: structural, groundcover, filler, seasonal accent or seed-head feature. Keep the list provisional. The purpose is to create options that can be evaluated against the site rather than to lock in every plant before construction conditions are known.
- Lay out structural or architectural plants first. Eischeid says these plants draw the eye through the landscape. Use them to establish height, mass, rhythm and important views. On a construction plan, show their mature relationships and allow access around them; do not let the filler layer determine the primary geometry.
- Fill around the structure. Add groundcovers and filler plants to connect the larger forms and cover exposed soil. In Eischeid’s method, this layer also helps suppress weeds. Treat spacing as a decision to revisit: a tight initial pattern may close quickly, while a wider pattern may require more early weed management.
- Map interest across the year. Do not judge the design only by its peak flowering period. Mark when each major plant blooms, repeats flowering, changes color, forms seed heads or contributes winter structure. A planting with fewer flowers in one month can still feel intentional if its stems, foliage and silhouettes carry the composition through the rest of the year.
- Check plant behavior before ordering. Flag plants that may self-sow, spread aggressively, collapse under weather, disappear seasonally or require frequent cutting back. Verify that the proposed combination leaves enough room for the plants’ mature behavior and that the maintenance team understands which changes are expected.
- Install with documentation. Keep the final plant schedule, quantities, locations and approved substitutions. Photograph key areas before mulch and after planting. This record makes later editing possible and prevents a maintenance crew from treating an intentional change in density as an installation defect.
- Write the after plan before completion. State who will inspect the planting, how weeds will be managed, when plants may be cut back, how dead material will be handled, and who can authorize replacements. The garden’s evolution is part of the design, not an emergency response after the warranty period.
Which plant traits should you evaluate?
Eischeid advises looking beyond the flower. A plant’s value and its maintenance consequences are often clearer in foliage, stems, seed heads and seasonal behavior than in a catalogue photograph.
| Trait to observe | Questions for the project team | Why it matters to the design |
|---|---|---|
| Bloom duration | How long does the display last, and what follows it? | Helps distribute interest instead of concentrating all color in one short period. |
| Repeat flowering | Does the plant produce another flush under the site’s conditions? | Influences how much seasonal emphasis the planting can provide without adding more species. |
| Self-sowing | Where do seedlings appear, and are they welcome in that location? | May create desirable drift or require timely editing at paths and boundaries. |
| Spread and aggressiveness | Does the plant outcompete neighbors or move beyond its intended area? | Determines spacing, containment and the frequency of intervention. |
| Resilience | Does it recover from the site’s weather and routine disturbance? | Shows whether the plant belongs in the long-term community or should be replaced. |
| Seed-head and winter structure | What remains after flowering, and how does it look in low light or frost? | Extends visual structure beyond the flowering season and informs cut-back timing. |
These observations should be made in the actual project, not assumed from a generic description. Record both successes and failures. A plant that thrives may be repeated in another compatible area; a plant that struggles may indicate a site problem, an unsuitable combination or an unrealistic maintenance expectation.
Is a naturalistic perennial garden really low-maintenance?
It can be designed to use plants and management practices efficiently, but it is not self-maintaining. Eischeid’s warning is explicit: No garden just takes care of itself after planting.
A naturalistic appearance may conceal substantial decisions about weeds, cutbacks, thinning, edging, irrigation during establishment and the removal of plants that spread too far.
Write the after plan in operational terms. Identify the person responsible for inspections, the threshold for removing a volunteer seedling, the areas where stems should remain through winter, and the points where access must stay clear. Schedule reviews at seasonal transitions and after periods of unusual weather. The exact workload will depend on the site, plant choices, establishment success and available stewardship; the interview provides no quantified comparison proving that naturalistic planting requires fewer labor hours.
Maintenance should be selective rather than automatic. Some plants may be left standing for winter structure, while others may need cutting back to preserve paths, sightlines or neighboring plants. Editing is not evidence that the design failed; it is the continuing work that keeps the intended community legible.
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Can plant debris be left as mulch?
Eischeid argues that plant debris can remain as mulch and that plant-community approaches can benefit pollinators and urban green spaces. Those are his interview views, not quantified findings from the ASLA feature. The article supplies no measurements of water savings, pollinator abundance, soil improvement or labor reduction, so project teams should not promise a specific outcome on that basis.
Instead, make the decision area by area. Leave suitable stems where they do not obstruct access, create a safety issue or conflict with the project’s appearance requirements. Remove or relocate material where paths, drainage features, equipment access or visibility demand it. If the project has ecological objectives, document them separately and coordinate with the landscape architect or qualified horticultural professional responsible for the site.
How does experimentation connect with construction and stormwater work?
Landscape design begins before planting day. During design development, coordinate grading, drainage, soil preparation, irrigation and access with the intended plant community. Eischeid notes that landscape architects can help address stormwater management and low-impact development; that role is most effective when the planting concept and civil work are developed together rather than treated as separate packages.
On a construction project, establish clear handoffs. The civil plan should identify where water is expected to collect or move. The planting plan should identify which areas are intentionally wetter or drier and which plants provide structure there. The maintenance plan should explain what a normal seasonal change looks like so that a contractor is not asked to “correct” an intentional condition.
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What mistakes undermine an experimental planting design?
| Common mistake | What happens | Better response |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing from a flower catalogue alone | The design peaks briefly and lacks structure afterward. | Evaluate foliage, stems, seed heads, winter form and the plant’s role in the community. |
| Placing filler before structure | Important views and movement through the landscape become unclear. | Lay out structural plants first, then connect them with groundcover and fillers. |
| Assuming a plant behaves exactly as labelled | Spread, self-sowing or resilience differs from expectations. | Observe the plant on the site and revise spacing or composition as evidence accumulates. |
| Promising a “maintenance-free” garden | Weeds, cutbacks and edits are deferred until the planting declines. | Budget for an after plan with named responsibilities and review points. |
| Removing all dead material automatically | Winter structure and potential habitat are lost without considering the design intent. | Decide what remains, what is cut back and when, by area and by plant behavior. |
| Making substitutions without checking community fit | A replacement looks similar but changes height, spread or seasonal sequence. | Review environmental fit, layer, behavior and maintenance implications before approval. |
How should the garden be reviewed as it matures?
Use a repeatable observation cycle. At installation, verify locations, quantities and the condition of the soil and mulch. During establishment, look for failures in irrigation, weed pressure, bare soil, unexpected spread and plants that are being shaded or crowded out. At the end of the first full seasonal cycle, compare the planting with the intended structure and seasonal map.
Review the garden again as the plant community fills in. Some gaps will close naturally; others will remain because a plant is poorly adapted or has been outcompeted. Edit in small, documented steps where possible, then update the plant schedule and maintenance notes. This preserves the reasoning behind changes for future crews and owners.
The goal is not to freeze the original drawing. It is to keep the design’s relationships—movement, layers, seasonal interest and access—working as living material changes. That is the practical meaning of experimentation in landscape design.
What should a project brief say about experimentation?
State that plant selection and maintenance will be reviewed against observed site conditions, that substitutions require approval, and that the owner will receive an after plan. Define which outcomes are design intentions—such as year-round structure or a connected groundcover layer—and which are hypotheses to be evaluated, such as how quickly a combination closes or how much self-sowing is acceptable.
This language protects the project from two opposite errors: treating every change as a defect, or treating every unexpected result as acceptable because the garden is “naturalistic.” Experimentation still requires standards. The standards are simply based on how the planting performs as a community over time, not only on how it appears on completion day.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a naturalistic planting and a formal planting?
A naturalistic planting usually emphasizes layered communities, seasonal change and a less rigid visual pattern, while a formal planting relies more heavily on repeated geometry, clipped forms or clearly controlled edges. Neither removes the need for maintenance; the difference is in the intended appearance and how plants are allowed to change.
How soon should a new perennial garden be judged?
Do not make a final judgment from the installation appearance. Record establishment problems early, then review the composition after it has passed through a complete seasonal cycle and again as plants begin to mature. Replace or edit plants when repeated observation shows a persistent mismatch with the site or design intent.
Should all perennial stems be cut back in autumn?
No single rule fits every planting. Decide by location, safety, access, winter structure and the behavior of each plant; some stems can remain while others need timely cutting or editing. Put the decision in the maintenance plan so it is intentional rather than an automatic seasonal cleanup.
Can experimentation work on a small residential or commercial site?
Yes. A small bed can function as a limited trial when its plant roles, observations and maintenance responsibilities are documented. Start with a manageable number of compatible plants, watch how they interact, and apply lessons to later beds instead of changing the whole site at once.
