Posted on August 09,2026

When you hear the word landscaping, you may picture neatly edged lawns, rows of manicured shrubs, shaped hedges, and gardens with clearly defined borders.

Pastoral landscaping takes a different approach.

It is not about creating a perfectly manicured property, but it is also not about letting things grow without direction. Pastoral landscaping is planned and maintained, but it has a more natural and informal appearance. It is working with the land rather than imposing a design on it.

What Does a Pastoral Landscape Look Like?

A pastoral landscape may include open lawn or meadow areas, native grasses, flowering perennials, shrubs, and naturalistic plantings. Instead of planting everything in separate rows or tightly defined beds, plants are allowed to work together.

Wildflowers can be an important part of this type of landscape. Depending on the location and growing conditions, plants such as black-eyed Susans, asters, goldenrod, bee balm, yarrow, and other native or regionally appropriate wildflowers and grasses can provide color and interest throughout the growing season. They can also provide food and habitat for pollinators.

The goal is not to make every plant look perfectly placed. The goal is to create a landscape where the different plants, textures, and heights work well together.

A garden can transition naturally into a meadow, or a lawn can gradually meet a woodland edge. Existing features such as stone walls, mature trees, and natural rock can become part of the landscape rather than obstacles that must be worked around.

Start With the Property

One of the most important parts of creating a naturalistic landscape is understanding the property itself.

The shape of the land, existing vegetation, sunlight, views, drainage, soil conditions, stone, and mature trees all influence what will work well.

Rather than starting with, "What should we put here?" — it becomes "What is already working here, and how can we enhance it?"

That might mean reducing an area of lawn and replacing it with a meadow or naturalistic planting. It might mean adding native plants along a woodland edge or opening up a view that has become overgrown. In some cases, the best solution may be fairly simple — selective pruning, clearing an area, or giving an existing feature more room to stand out.

Natural Doesn't Mean Neglected

A pastoral landscape still needs regular care. Plants need to be maintained, invasive growth needs to be managed, and paths and gathering areas need attention. Some areas may need periodic pruning or selective clearing to keep the landscape healthy and usable.

The difference is in the goal. Instead of trying to control every part of the property, the focus is on maintaining the landscape while preserving its natural character.

That approach makes particular sense here on Mount Desert Island. Our properties are part of a larger landscape of forests, meadows, stone walls, rocky outcroppings, and native vegetation.

As September arrives, it can be a good time to take a fresh look at your property. Consider whether every area really needs to be manicured, or whether some spaces could be allowed to take a more natural direction.

Pastoral landscaping isn't about doing less. It's about making thoughtful choices about where and how we maintain the property. Keep what works, improve what doesn't, and enhance the natural character that makes each property unique.