GARDENING

GET CREATIVE IN THE GARDEN AND BRING A CORNER OF IT BACK TO NATURE

Chances are you've admired the wild meadows near Beach Lane and Wainscott Main Street and wonder, somewhat paradoxically, how to get that natural look in your own garden. Those grassy plains take years of careful abandonment to attain their freeform appearance. So stop mowing and throw in a few native shrubs, and eventually you'll arrive at the aesthetic you're aiming for. In a bit of a hurry and want to add some color into the mix? Follow the lead of Jack deLashmet, a Sagaponack-based landscape architect who prides himself on bespoke landscapes that are suited to our environs.

FIELD OF DREAMS (click photo for larger view)

"I prefer to organize a meadow so that even when plants are dormant, the pattern of the spent flowers and leaves creates a structured scenery," he says. "I've gone so far as to use a Pucci fabric print as a pattern to lay out a field." DeLashmet extends the season by under-planting with spring-blooming bulbs like crocus, daffodils and his favorite Chionodoxa, a small, early-flowering bulb with blue blooms. Consistency is key to deLashmet, who ensures that "native plants are included in every part of the garden at one point or another. So if I have nonnative bulbs, for example, they'll be followed by a native plant, although of course it's always best to use as many natives as possible."

For more information on Jack deLashmet & Associates, call 631-537-8100 or send an e-mail to info@delashmet.com.