Exploring Garden Styles: Part 4: Regional Rooted Styles
- Robyn Cates
- Nov 11, 2025
- 5 min read
This series is La Madrina's guide to 16 distinct garden styles, each paired with a mini design lesson to help you translate inspiration into action. From layout and plant selection to climate considerations and maintenance tips, we’ll walk through the elements that make each style work—and how to adapt them for Indiana’s growing conditions.
Landscape Design 101
Pollinator-Friendly Design
Pollinator-Friendly Design is an approach that supports bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators by providing food, shelter, and nesting habitat throughout the growing season. Pollinators are essential for healthy ecosystems and food production. By designing with them in mind, you help sustain biodiversity, improve crop yields, and create a vibrant, dynamic garden.
Cluster several varieties of native plantings that local pollinators rely on—like coneflowers, bee balm, milkweed, and goldenrod.
Avoid pesticides. Even organic sprays can harm beneficial insects.
Regional Rooted Style
Woodland, Native, and Prairie gardens all reflect Indiana’s natural ecology and support wildlife, but they differ in light and layout.
Woodland gardens thrive in shade with layered, quiet plantings. Native gardens use local species across sun and shade for resilience. Prairie gardens are bold and sun-loving, filled with tall grasses and wildflowers
Woodland Garden
A woodland garden seeks to replicate the peaceful, natural beauty of a forest understory, emphasizing shade-loving plants, organic forms, and a sense of discovery. It’s characterized by dappled light, rich soil, and a serene atmosphere, often featuring native plants and a focus on ecological harmony. This style is ideal for properties with mature trees or shaded areas, creating a tranquil retreat from the bustle of modern life.
Key Design Elements: Paths are typically soft, winding, and made of wood chips, pine needles, or stepping stones, inviting leisurely strolls. Hardscaping is minimal and naturalistic, such as moss-covered rocks or fallen logs used as borders. Water features, if present, mimic natural streams or quiet pools. Layered planting mimics the forest floor, with groundcovers, ferns, shrubs, and understory trees. The focus is on texture and varying shades of green, with seasonal pops of color from wildflowers.
Plant Recommendations for Indiana: Shade-loving native plants are paramount for Indiana. Examples include various Maidenhair Fern - Ostrich Fern - Christmas Fern, Hostas, Astilbes, Hellebores, Bleeding Hearts, and wild gingers Spring ephemerals like Trillium and Bloodroot provide early color. Understory trees such as Flowering Dogwood or Serviceberry can also be incorporated, as well as native shrubs like Spicebus and Virginia Sweetspire.
Best Climates/Regions & Historical Background: Woodland gardens are best suited for temperate climates with existing tree cover. They are popular in regions with natural forests, such as the Pacific Northwest, New England, and parts of Europe. The style gained popularity in the 19th century as a reaction to formal gardens, celebrating natural forms and native flora.
Practical Implementation Tips: Start by assessing existing tree canopy and light conditions to choose appropriate plants. Improve soil with generous amounts of organic matter to mimic forest floor conditions. Embrace fallen leaves as natural mulch. Create a sense of depth by layering plants of different heights and textures. Consider adding a bench or a small seating area for quiet contemplation.
Native Indiana Garden
A Native Indiana Garden focuses on cultivating plants indigenous to the Hoosier State. This style prioritizes ecological benefits, sustainability, and supporting local wildlife such as pollinators and birds, creating a landscape that harmonizes with the regional ecosystem. It's an excellent choice for environmentally conscious homeowners in Indiana seeking a beautiful, low-maintenance garden that contributes to local biodiversity.
Key Design Elements: Design often mimics natural Indiana ecosystems, such as woodlands, prairies, or wetlands, using plants appropriate for the specific site conditions. Features include rain gardens for water management, natural stone pathways, and snags (dead trees or branches) for wildlife habitat. Lawns may be minimized or replaced with native plant communities. Emphasis is on naturalistic groupings rather than rigid patterns.
Plant Recommendations for Indiana: A diverse palette of Indiana native plants. For sunny areas: Purple Coneflower, Wild Bergamot, Butterfly Milkweed, Cardinal Flower, Little Bluestem, Smooth Blue Aster, and Compass Plant. For shaded areas: Foamflower, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Virginia Bluebells, various native ferns (e.g., Ostrich Fern, Maidenhair Fern), and Wild Geranium. Trees like Eastern Redbud and Flowering Dogwood and shrubs like Spicebush and Serviceberry are also excellent.
Best Climates/Regions & Historical Background: This style is perfectly suited for all regions of Indiana, aligning with the state's natural temperate climate and specific ecological zones. Its popularity is growing as awareness of ecological conservation and the benefits of supporting native habitats increases.
Practical Implementation Tips: Research native plants suitable for your specific sun exposure, soil type, and moisture levels. Consider removing invasive species that compete with native plants. Group plants with similar light and moisture needs together. Incorporate a variety of plant heights and bloom times to provide continuous interest and support for pollinators throughout the season. Provide a water source for wildlife, such as a bird bath or a small pond.
Prairie Garden Style
Prairie style landscaping aims to capture the sweeping beauty and ecological resilience of North American grasslands. It features drifts of native grasses and wildflowers, creating a dynamic, low-maintenance landscape that changes beautifully with the seasons. This style is perfect for larger properties, rural settings, or anyone wishing to restore native ecosystems, attracting wildlife and embracing a natural, flowing aesthetic.
Key Design Elements: Key elements include broad, undulating masses of grasses and perennials, designed to mimic natural prairie ecosystems. Paths are often mown grass or permeable materials that wind through the plantings. Hardscaping is minimal and rustic, blending into the natural environment. The design emphasizes natural succession and wildlife habitat, creating a sense of expansiveness and natural beauty.
Plant Recommendations for Indiana: This style is perfectly suited for Indiana's climate, utilizing many native species. Foundational native grasses include Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem, Indiangrass, and Switchgrass. Interspersed with these are native wildflowers such as Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susans, Butterfly Milkweed, Dense Blazing Star, various native Asters, and Goldenrods.
Best Climates/Regions & Historical Background: This style is ideally suited for regions that historically supported prairies, primarily the central United States and Canada. It gained prominence in the early 20th century with landscape architects like Jens Jensen, who advocated for using native plants and naturalistic design. It's experiencing a resurgence due to its ecological benefits and drought resistance.
Practical Implementation Tips: Start with thorough site preparation to eliminate existing weeds. Consider a phased planting approach for larger areas. Design for all seasons, ensuring there's always something in bloom or providing winter interest. Create defined edges between the prairie garden and lawn or hardscaping to maintain a tidy appearance.
Up Next: Modern & Adaptive Living
Farmstead Garden, Contemporary Urban Garden, and Xeriscaping Garden all prioritize functionality and resource efficiency. Each style is designed to meet specific lifestyle or environmental needs—whether growing food, maximizing small spaces, or conserving water—while still offering aesthetic appeal and practical use.
Let’s keep growing.
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