Kelly D. Norris

You’ve started a native, organic garden—an incredible milestone—but now what? What’s the best way to keep growing and supporting the ecosystem around you? Natural gardening author and landscape designer, Kelly Norris is back on the podcast to talk about his newest book, Your Natural Garden: A Practical Guide to Caring for an Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden. We explore what it means to create and nurture a truly ecological garden and how to keep the momentum going - those next steps after you get it planted and established. The audio and article plus Kelly’s incredible natural design photos (some seen here in this post) are ready for you to dive in—head to the link in my bio to listen and take a peek at Kelly’s inspiring natural garden. You won’t want to miss it! 📸Photo Credit Kelly’s Author image: Austin Hyler Day 📸Photo Credit Garden Photos : @kellydnorris #joegardener #iamajoegardener #kellynorris #ecologicalgardening #nativeplants #organicgardening #gardendesign #gardeningpodcast #gardeninspiration #gardeningtips #sustainablegardening #gardenersofinstagram #growwhatyoueat #wildlifegarden #naturalbeauty

Today, registration is LIVE for the Winter Cohort of the New Naturalism Academy! I developed this virtual continuing education course to help landscape professionals and serious enthusiasts further their knowledge of horticultural ecology and planting design. What started as a series of virtual lectures during the pandemic (and in-person workshops in the years before that) has grown into two courses with instruction, facilitation, and community building at the intersection of plants and place. The Winter Cohort is the seven-week foundation for our "virtual school" and starts January 15. Lectures take place weekly on Wednesdays via Zoom webinar (and yes, you can always watch the recording if you miss the live session!) You can learn more about the course content and browse answers to frequently asked questions at the link in my bio. 📸 A late July jolt of yellow in three vignettes in #theromp #threeoaksgarden. #naturalgarden #threeoaksgarden #yournaturalgarden #newnaturalism #theromp #plantingdesign #resilientlandscapes #morethanturf #planting #ecologicalgarden #naturalgarden #ecologicalgardening #gardendesign #gardenlife #drygarden #wildgarden #drymeadow #gardenphotography #gardenphotos #plantingdesigner #gardenlife #ourgarden #meadow #plantcommunity #sandgarden ABOUT: Kelly D. Norris is an award-winning plantsman and author based at Three Oaks Garden in Des Moines, Iowa. In his practice, he explores the intersections of people, plants, and place through ecological, site-specific design and art. Kelly’s garden work has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and in numerous television, radio, and digital media appearances. For more information or to discuss a possible commission, please contact via the link in the bio!

ANNOUNCEMENT DAY. I’m excited to finally share that my next book, Your Natural Garden, is now available for pre-order on Amazon and other major booksellers. The official publication date is December 3. Pre-order your copy today at the link in my bio! This companion to New Naturalism offers a much-needed handbook for cultivating and living with today’s natural gardens. Naturalistic plantings, overflowing with biodiverse communities of plants, are filling home landscapes around the globe with more plant diversity and wildlife habitat. But these verdant places require a new handbook for gardening in sync with nature. The book outlines methods for understanding and cultivating your connection to the natural world. I want to cultivate your mindset to appreciate your landscape in the context of place. With an artist’s heart and a scientist’s head, I wrote the book as a letter from one naturally inspired gardener to another. It’s a natural follow-up to a book about designing and planting. I’m so excited to finally share it with you in the weeks and months ahead. I write in the book's epilogue: “There’s an old quote that goes “If you stumble, make it part of the dance.” You’ll learn plenty of new dance moves in the natural garden. The capacity to adapt and alter strategies should be a fundamental aspect of your gardening experience. As with nature, change is constant, and flexibility is key to thriving. If you take plenty of photos, you’ll also look back and realize that even at the peak of your perceived failings, you were better off than you knew. Few other creatures on the planet suffer their metacognition in the way we do, a curious consequence of our evolution. Consider all that is animal about your puttering, planting, and plucking. Gardening in stewardship to place is a higher-order ecological aspiration with selfish and communal benefits.” #naturalgarden #yournaturalgarden #newnaturalism #threeoaksgarden #plantingdesign #resilientlandscapes #resilientgarden #morethanturf #planting #ecologicalgarden #naturalgarden #ecologicalgardening #gardendesign #gardenlife #wildgarden #meadowgarden #naturalisticgarden #naturalisticgardening #nativeflora #nativeplants

I spent the morning poring over photos of #threeoaksgarden from the last year. Sometimes I forget just how many photos I take. 😂 These photos of The Valley were captured in late June as Angelica atropurpurea (American angelica)was going over and the Helianthus salicifolius (willow-leaf sunflower) were reaching peak textural magic. Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver's root) signaled the baton passing from June to July. The Valley is living up to all of our wet ditch dreams. #naturalgarden #yournaturalgarden #newnaturalism #plantswithstyle #plantingdesign #resilientlandscapes #morethanturf #planting #ecologicalgarden #naturalgarden #ecologicalgardening #gardendesign #gardenlife #drygarden #wildgarden #wetmeadow #gardenphotography #gardenphotos #plantingdesigner #gardenlife #ourgarden #meadow #plantcommunity #sandgarden #wetgarden #bioswale ABOUT: Kelly D. Norris is an award-winning plantsman and author based at Three Oaks Garden in Des Moines, Iowa. In his practice, he explores the intersections of people, plants, and place through ecological, site-specific design and art. Kelly’s garden work has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and in numerous television, radio, and digital media appearances. His forthcoming book Your Natural Garden launches January 14 from Cool Springs Press. With an academic background in plant sciences and landscape ecology, he specializes in creating diverse and dynamic gardens that reimagine places for consilient encounters with the natural world. For more information or to discuss a possible commission, please contact via the link in the bio!

Two sides of the same "border" between the house and the #longlookprairie here at #threeoaksgarden. I've thought a lot about this space this year, exploring the tension between something more composed and something more self-generating. I count the Eutrochium maculatum (sweet Joe Pye weed) as the most valuable plant inherited from the previous owners, which, absent the former deck, now has pride of place at a key intersection in the garden. We could've moved it, but instead we've worked to see it less as an obstacle and more as an asset. A contemplation on prairie in the garden frame coming to your inbox soon via my newsletter Planting Notes. Are you signed up (link in my bio)? #naturalgarden #yournaturalgarden #newnaturalism #plantingnotes #iowagarden #iowagardening #plantswithstyle #plantingdesign #resilientlandscapes #resilientgarden #morethanturf #planting #ecologicalgarden #naturalgarden #ecologicalgardening #gardendesign #gardenlife #frontyardgarden #wildgarden #meadow #meadowgarden #gardenphotography #gardenphotos #naturalisticgarden #naturalisticgardening #nativeflora #nativeplants ABOUT: Kelly D. Norris is an award-winning plantsman and author based at Three Oaks Garden in Des Moines, Iowa. In his practice, he explores the intersections of people, plants, and place through ecological, site-specific design and art. Kelly’s garden work has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and in numerous television, radio, and digital media appearances. His forthcoming book Your Natural Garden launches January 14 from Cool Springs Press. With an academic background in plant sciences and landscape ecology, he specializes in creating diverse and dynamic gardens that reimagine places for consilient encounters with the natural world. For more information or to discuss a possible commission, please contact via the link in the bio!

Same garden, different month. Yesterday, I posted photos of #theromp at #threeoaksgarden in July. Today, similar vignettes from September, although from the vantage point of morning light. This was one of those mornings where I skipped making coffee to dash into the garden with the camera. My scientist/analytical brain needs coffee. My artist's heart just needs this light... shimmery, sugary, crystalline, and the source of pure bliss. 📸 These are more are now up on the Projects section of my website, which I'm slowly updating with more imagery and narratives. I plan to write about some of these projects through the winter, so watch your inbox for my monthly newsletter Planting Notes (or sign up if you haven't already at the link in my bio). #naturalgarden #yournaturalgarden #newnaturalism #plantswithstyle #plantingdesign #resilientlandscapes #morethanturf #planting #ecologicalgarden #naturalgarden #ecologicalgardening #gardendesign #gardenlife #drygarden #wildgarden #drymeadow #gardenphotography #gardenphotos #plantingdesigner #gardenlife #ourgarden #meadow #plantcommunity #sandgarden #sandprairie ABOUT: Kelly D. Norris is an award-winning plantsman and author based at Three Oaks Garden in Des Moines, Iowa. In his practice, he explores the intersections of people, plants, and place through ecological, site-specific design and art. Kelly’s garden work has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and in numerous television, radio, and digital media appearances. His forthcoming book Your Natural Garden launches January 14 from Cool Springs Press. With an academic background in plant sciences and landscape ecology, he specializes in creating diverse and dynamic gardens that reimagine places for consilient encounters with the natural world. For more information or to discuss a possible commission, please contact via the link in the bio!

My studio is in the northwest corner of the house, and I've been cold all day. July sounds nice right about now. Our first single-digit morning this winter is a brief reminder of what will become the norm before we bounce back to somewhat more seasonable highs and lows for this time of year. 50s over the weekend will feel decidedly balmy; it's all about perspective. An interesting collection of projects is slowly coming into focus for 2025, spanning geography and growing conditions. I love this time of year for stoking the creative fires for what comes next on the docket, which inevitably requires looking back to look forward. 📸 A view into the heart of #TheRomp here at #threeoaksgarden, a dynamic model that provides a canvas for exploring ideas about stress physiology in site-specific planting design. New photo dump from 2024 up on the Projects section of my website (link in bio). There's plenty more where these came from. This is the third year after planting in deep sand. #naturalgarden #yournaturalgarden #newnaturalism #plantswithstyle #plantingdesign #resilientlandscapes #morethanturf #planting #ecologicalgarden #naturalgarden #ecologicalgardening #gardendesign #gardenlife #drygarden #wildgarden #drymeadow #gardenphotography #gardenphotos #plantingdesigner #gardenlife #ourgarden #meadow #plantcommunity #sandgarden #sandprairie ABOUT: Kelly D. Norris is an award-winning plantsman and author based at Three Oaks Garden in Des Moines, Iowa. In his practice, he explores the intersections of people, plants, and place through ecological, site-specific design and art. Kelly’s garden work has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and in numerous television, radio, and digital media appearances. His forthcoming book Your Natural Garden launches January 14 from Cool Springs Press. With an academic background in plant sciences and landscape ecology, he specializes in creating diverse and dynamic gardens that reimagine places for consilient encounters with the natural world. For more information or to discuss a possible commission, please contact via the link in the bio!

Thanks to @perennialplantassociation for hosting the first of two #landscapedesign webinars today. I was grateful for the chance to kick off the session talking about the Meadow for the Opera that won this year's 2024 Award of Excellence. 📸 earlier this summer prior to a @desmoinesmetroopera performance and at peak Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master) season, shown here in three vignettes. A variation on a theme of Iowa #tallgrass #prairie translated into a dramatic, horticultural context. #naturalgarden #yournaturalgarden #newnaturalism #publicgarden #publichorticulture #plantswithstyle #plantingdesign #resilientlandscapes #resilientgarden #morethanturf #planting #ecologicalgarden #naturalgarden #ecologicalgardening #gardendesign #gardenlife #wildgarden #meadow #meadowgarden #gardenphotography #gardenphotos #naturalisticgarden #naturalisticgardening #nativeflora #nativeplants ABOUT: Kelly D. Norris is an award-winning plantsman and author based at Three Oaks Garden in Des Moines, Iowa. In his practice, he explores the intersections of people, plants, and place through ecological, site-specific design and art. Kelly’s garden work has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and in numerous television, radio, and digital media appearances. His forthcoming book Your Natural Garden launches January 14 from Cool Springs Press. With an academic background in plant sciences and landscape ecology, he specializes in creating diverse and dynamic gardens that reimagine places for consilient encounters with the natural world. For more information or to discuss a possible commission, please contact via the link in the bio!

Theme and variation. This weekend I read a review in the New York Times of a new book about Stephen Sondheim, which opens with the following: "In the early 1980s, the librettist and director James Lapine asked the composer Stephen Sondheim what sort of musical he wanted to write. The pair were in the early stages of creating “Sunday in the Park With George,” their first collaboration of many, and the response given by the older to the younger man was very Sondheimish indeed. “Theme and variation,” said Sondheim, or as Richard Schoch puts it in his heartwarming essay collection, “How Sondheim Can Change Your Life,” “not, then, a story to be told, but a perspective to be taken.”" I think a lot about theme and variation in #plantingdesign, particularly when working across large sites. While I love nuance and detail, the foundation of so many planting models rests on the contributions of a handful of species (some version of the Pareto principle or 80/20 rule). To keep a robust design interesting and unfolding, you have to challenge yourself to mix up the presentation and arrangement of these species lest the landscape start to read like a formula. 📸 @austinhyler, July 2024. @harkininstitute gardens featuring a signature tallgrass prairie combination of Liatris pycnostachya (prairie blazingstar) and Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver's root) encounters various other associates in two iterations, one on a mesic slope and the other in more damp setting. #naturalgarden #yournaturalgarden #newnaturalism #publichorticulture #wetmeadow #prairie #plantswithstyle #resilientlandscapes #resilientgarden #morethanturf #planting #ecologicalgarden #naturalgarden #ecologicalgardening #gardendesign #wildgarden #meadow #meadowgarden #gardenphotography #gardenphotos #naturalisticgarden #naturalisticgardening #nativeflora #nativeplants #greeninfrastructure #bioswale ABOUT: Kelly D. Norris is an award-winning plantsman and author based at Three Oaks Garden in Des Moines, Iowa. In his practice, he explores the intersections of people, plants, and place through ecological, site-specific design and art. For more information, check out the link in the bio!

Today, I'm grateful for abundance, a key theme of my ecological work and a general mindset I try to cultivate, especially during this transition between autumn and winter. It's always good to take stock of what's thriving in the garden and remember that life continues around us, unbothered by many human troubles. For that matter, I'm also grateful for all of you who follow my work here and via my newsletter. Thanks for a few moments of your attention and focus. 🌱🌻🌿 In my forthcoming book Your Natural Garden, I write: "Natural gardening increases complexity with resolving its outcomes. The journey treads on the road of abundance—you will always be planting or, at the very least, promoting plants. Adopt the mantra “Just keep planting.” Some days, it’s an encouraging statement; others, it’s a command. If a tree falls, embrace the light and just keep planting. If a plant succumbs to disease, consider why and just keep planting. In our own way and time, planting is one of the most important actions we can take to cultivate greater abundance and complexity in the landscapes we call home." 📸 @austinhyler, July 2024. @harkininstitute gardens featuring green infrastructure #plantings I designed in 2021 and 2022. #naturalgarden #yournaturalgarden #newnaturalism #publichorticulture #wetmeadow #prairie #plantswithstyle #plantingdesign #resilientlandscapes #resilientgarden #morethanturf #planting #ecologicalgarden #naturalgarden #ecologicalgardening #gardendesign #wildgarden #meadow #meadowgarden #gardenphotography #gardenphotos #naturalisticgarden #naturalisticgardening #nativeflora #nativeplants #greeninfrastructure #bioswale ABOUT: Kelly D. Norris is an award-winning plantsman and author based at Three Oaks Garden in Des Moines, Iowa. In his practice, he explores the intersections of people, plants, and place through ecological, site-specific design and art. Kelly’s garden work has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and in numerous television, radio, and digital media appearances. For more information or to discuss a possible commission, please contact me via the link in the bio!

Fieldwork: work done in the field to gain practical experience and knowledge through firsthand observation. I've been wandering through so-called wild places most of my life. The woods behind the house I grew up in or the prairie cemeteries up the road were worlds within worlds. When I make a garden, I think about that wonderment and awe. 📸 here's a collection of photos from one of my favorite central Iowa sand prairies back in August. @j.hynes10 and I spent the afternoon traipsing through acres of Rudbeckia subtomentosa (sweet coneflower), Asclepias verticillata (whorled milkweed), Verbena stricta (stiff vervain), and Euphorbia corollata (flowering spurge). It's a special place that shatters the labels we use to categorize natural communities. The experience of walking through this place reminds me of the tremendous nuance and variety, subtly unfolding across a vast landscape, that we've lost. It also inspires me to keep planting, to contribute to the mosaic of the landscape as it is and could be. #botanizing #fieldtrip #newnaturalism #nativeplant #nativeflora #prairie #landscape #landscapedesign #plantingdesign #ecology #wildflowers #iowa #resilientlandscapes #sandprairie

One of my favorite corners of @dsmperforming Cowles Commons, a landscape managed by @publichorticulture in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Landscape architecture by @kensmithworkshop. Claes Oldenburg's Crusoe Umbrella in the background. 🌱 Plants shown here include Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver's root), Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) and Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia mountain mint), a highly competitive (cooperative?) trio that keep this highly trafficked public space densely packed with vegetation. Pockets of Agastache foeniculum (anise hyssop) also emerge in this and other adjacent planting beds. I love finding places where we can lean on robust species like Pycanthemum to carry the mass of the planting. It checks multiple functional boxes, forming a vernal matrix that ultimately emerges to flower in the middle heights of the vegetation column. By fall, its remnants are an important scaffold for late-season asters and gentians. #newnaturalism #Publichorticulture #citygarden #desmoines #dsm #dsmusa #urbanwild #landscapedesign #landscapearchitecture #plantingdesign #urbanhorticulture #iowagarden #morethanturf #resilientgarden #wildgarden #wildgardening #plantcommunity #nativeplants #nativeflora #yournaturalgarden #publicgarden ABOUT: Kelly D. Norris is an award-winning plantsman and author based at Three Oaks Garden in Des Moines, Iowa. In his practice, he explores the intersections of people, plants, and place through ecological, site-specific design and art. Kelly’s garden work has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and in numerous television, radio, and digital media appearances. His forthcoming book Your Natural Garden launches January 14 from Cool Springs Press. For more information or to discuss a possible commission, please contact via the link in the bio!