Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia

Over 40 Years of Growing Gardens and Gardeners

Phlox Subulata (moss pink) in landscape. Photo © Elaine Mills

Cues to Care: Making Ecological Landscaping the Norm

by Elaine Mills, Extension Master Gardener
Photos © Elaine Mills

These days, many homeowners are looking for ways to reduce or completely eliminate their lawns while adding layers of varied native plants to provide support for beneficial insects, birds, and other wildlife. Unfortunately, these gardeners may often face disapproval from neighbors or unfavorable regulation by local governmental jurisdictions and homeowners associations which see the traditional front yard with turf grass, an ornamental lawn tree, clipped shrubs, and mulched flower beds as the only acceptable mode of landscaping. “Cues to care” is a short-hand phrase that encompasses a range of design principles and maintenance techniques that gardeners can use to make their ecological approach more culturally acceptable.

The concept of cues to care was introduced by Joan Iverson Nassauer, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Michigan, in a groundbreaking 1995 paper “Messy Ecosystems, Orderly Frames.” In addressing the question of how to make more natural, wildlife-friendly landscapes appealing, she explained that “The dominant culture in much of North America reads a neat, orderly landscape as a sign of neighborliness, hard work, and pride.” Although “people prefer to see landscapes that they perceive as natural,” designs “that improve ecological quality may not be appreciated” unless signs of “sociable human intention” and ongoing care are incorporated.

View of a residential house with a porch, surrounded by a flourishing garden with various plants and flowers, and a wooden fence along the sidewalk.
The author’s front yard, demonstrating cues to care principles

First Impressions

Natural landscapes can give neighbors a good first impression if the front edge of the property is clearly defined with well-trimmed plants behind a front fence and unobstructed sidewalks and driveways. A thin strip of mown turf along the curb can serve as a cue that the property is actively managed. It’s also important to maintain a clear line of sight with walkways to the front door of the house so the yard doesn’t seem overgrown. If possible, inclusion of a high percentage of showy and colorful flowers in the front yard can add to the garden‘s “curb appeal”, even if the plant species may not be familiar. In addition, regular sweeping and raking to keep all solid surfaces free of organic matter, such as twigs, leaves, pinecones, and acorns convey orderliness.

A residential front yard featuring a leafless tree, various shrubs, and flowers in a landscaped garden with stone pathways leading to a brick house.
A property with an unobstructed sidewalk and driveway.
Front yard view of a house with a landscaped garden featuring tall grasses, flowering plants, and a stone pathway leading to the entrance.
A stone pathway provides a clear line of sight to the front door
A vibrant flower garden featuring a variety of colorful blooms, including pink, orange, and white flowers, alongside lush green grass and shrubs near a residential porch.
Use of abundant colorful native flowers

Hardscape

Wise use of hardscape can increase the perception of a designed landscape by differentiating between spaces that will be used by humans, such as patios with furniture and other seating areas, and the natural landscape intended to support wildlife. Linear structural elements like walls and decorative fences, as well as vertical components such as arbors and trellises not only provide support to plants, but they also bring a sense of visual order. In addition, paths, rocks, and containers can help to define spaces, and stone or brick edging can help to frame beds.

A colorful flower garden with yellow blooms along a stone wall, beside a blue house under clear skies.
Stone wall brings a sense of order to a planting of wildflowers
A lush garden scene featuring various plants and herbs, with a stone patio area that includes two wicker chairs. A bird feeder is visible in the background, surrounded by greenery and trees.
Patio and herb bed amidst natural plantings
An arbor supports the exuberant growth of native wisteria
An arbor supports the exuberant growth of native wisteria

Plants

Native plants can be installed in ways that make them more acceptable to both neighbors and passersby. For example, the use of edging plants and appropriate shorter cultivars* of native species gives a more controlled appearance along a front fenceline. Foundation plantings are universally considered to be desirable, and native shrubs and small trees can provide that structure as long as their growth doesn’t cover doors or windows. Black haw (Viburnum prunifolium), sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), inkberry (Ilex glabra), sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), and arrow-wood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) are excellent alternatives to invasive privet, nandina, burning bush, and barberry. Native perennials, evergreen ferns, and ground covers such as hairy alumroot (Heuchera villosa), Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), and Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens) can also be incorporated into these plantings. On slopes, sweeps of ‘Gro-Low’ fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica) and sedges (Carex species) can be substituted for invasive English ivy, Japanese pachysandra, and periwinkle.

A bush with dense green foliage in front of a house, next to a white railing and porch.
Inkberry and ninebark used as foundation plants
A modern house with dark exterior and large windows, surrounded by lush green shrubs and trees under a clear blue sky.
‘Gro-Low’ fragrant sumac controls erosion on a slope
A leafy green tree with a thick trunk in front of a brick wall, surrounded by various shrubs and plants in a garden setting.
Sweetbay magnolia and alumroot at the corner of a house]

Clustering perennial plants of a single species in masses or drifts rather than installing individual plants of many species is another sign of management in the garden. These larger groupings allow for more efficient collection of nectar and pollen by pollinators, while creating legible patterns that reduce visual clutter. In addition, it’s a good idea not to have too many plants growing at a single level. Planting a mix of woody and herbaceous plants of various heights not only creates a beneficial structure for foraging and nesting wildlife, but it also gives a more solid appearance and provides greater visual interest. Planting sedges and bunch grasses to create a ground-level “matrix” in flower beds and surrounding trees with short perennials, such as golden-alexanders (Zizia aurea) or woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata), are ways of demonstrating that low-growing plants themselves can serve as an attractive “green mulch” replacement for the more familiar expanse of brown wood chips or shredded bark.

A landscaped garden featuring green bushes and bright yellow flowers, alongside a wooden fence and a sidewalk, with parked cars in the background.
Landscape mixing drifts of perennials with woodies
A garden bed featuring patches of green sedges, small shrubs, and plants with fresh soil and a few scattered leaves.
Newly installed matrix planting of sedges
A lush forest floor covered with a carpet of delicate light purple and white flowers, surrounded by green foliage and tree trunks.
Woodland phlox planted as “green mulch” beneath trees

Other Design and Educational Elements

There are other ways to indicate intentionality in a natural landscape, such as incorporating herbs and other edible plants in flower beds and including art, yard decorations, and rain barrels throughout the garden. Water features from bird baths to fountains and ponds, as well as bird feeders and bird houses, are generally recognized as evidence of care for wildlife. Yard certification signs, hand-lettered plant labels, and even colorful chalk messages on the sidewalk bordering a front yard can provide helpful information on plants and explain such garden practices as the avoidance of mosquito sprays and other pesticides, leaving fall leaves in place, and retaining dead trees as snags.

A slate sign with the text 'Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum incanum)' highlighting that the flowers attract butterflies, moths, and beneficial predatory wasps.
Tag describes value of plant to insects
A serene garden stream flowing over smooth stones, surrounded by greenery and small plants.
Front yard stream draws birds and other animals
A wooden birdhouse hanging from a tree branch, surrounded by small purple flowers on the bark.
Bird house shows care for wildlife

See the final section of the recorded presentation “Creating a Well-layered Landscape” for case studies on how these cues to care are used to demonstrate that ecological and wildlife-friendly landscapes can meet the expectations for well-maintained properties.

*Cultivars of native plants should retain flower form (without extra petals replacing reproductive parts) and green foliage color in order to provide support to pollinators and to serve as larval host plants for the caterpillars of butterflies and moths. See the recorded presentation “Native Plant Species & Cultivars” for additional recommendations.

Resources