​Long Island Natural Landscaping with Native Plants

Natural landscaping is about transforming outdoor spaces (schools, homes, gardens, and parks) to be more welcoming to wildlife, and to the peace and serenity found in working outdoors. There's many ways to approach natural landscaping. Below we explore a few approaches.

Want To Learn More About Natural Landscaping?

Visit our Environmental Directory and search for the "natural landscaping" speciality.  We've used a catch all term to describe a variety of the  terms described above; refine your search by exploring the detailed listings.

Habitat Management & Restoration

Habitat management modifies natural landscapes. For example, creating food plots, cuttings for browse, and mowing grassy openings to benefit quail and deer.

Restoration is an ecosystem approach. For example,  consider what habitat is being restored ( pine barrens, barrier beaches, saltmarshes, and grasslands, etc.  Within each, there's a mixture of  plant communities that vary over time and space.  Restoration reestablishes not an exact match, but similarity. 

​Of equal importance, is the removal and management of nonnative invasive species which damage your habitat or restoration goals.
Vineyard Field with Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt (2020) in Bridgehampton, NY

Aesthetics Visualized With Nature Art Illustration

Have you ever walked along a trail that is boring? Mostly likely, it's dull because the trail went too straight, and  had no proper views. Have you ever been to a park, and saw an ugly red sign blocking an otherwise pristine view?  Have you ever appreciated an illustration of a natural setting?  
​What's wrong with this picture?
​ Indian Island County Park, Riverhead, NY (photographed in 2012)
Nature art illustration and aesthetics when done right, add beauty and inform us of what natural landscaping can achieve. ​
Nature Art Illustration of
​Carmans River in Brookhaven, NY 
​by Beach Oak Designs

Gardening For Wildlife

The practice of gardening for wildlife is to protect what's natural, remove invasives, and plant what is missing and wildlife friendly. Field guides will help you identify the invasives, like porcelain berry, exemplified in this video (on right). The best way to learn about invasives is to intern or volunteer with someone actively pulling weeds. 
Julie Sullivan, Go Native Long Island is using pliers to pull out invasive porcelain berry in Carpenter Farm Park, Huntington, NY. In the video she'd discussing Professor Doug Tallamy's new book on natural landscaping.

Pollinator Gardens, Rain Gardens, Beautification Gardens

Pollinator gardens or rain gardens focus attention to singular aspects of a natural landscape. Their primary use of native plants qualify them as natural landscapes with additional focus on aesthetics and blooming times.  Native grasses can be added to provide additional wildlife cover and habitat, but the primary focus is on wildflowers.  Rain gardens are designed with a variety of native plants that are best suited for areas of poor drainage. Beautification plantings may incorporate natural settings and/or include spot plantings of native plants. 
Quality Parks Bee Friendly Nursery & Pollinator Gardens, Port Jefferson, NY
Old Town Road Greenway, Brookhaven, NY, beautification with Old Town Blooms