1. A mown strip through a grass and wildflower meadow links this vacation home in Massachusetts with the surrounding landscape and nearby beach. ArchitectMatthew Moger pulled inspiration from the land and its former use as a farm when designing the home, and the landscape architecture nods to its natural history as well.

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2. Inspired by Noel Kingsbury’s book The New Perennial Gardenand the naturalistic planting style of Wolfgang Oehme, James van Sweden and Piet Oudolf, homeowner James Golden created what he calls a New American garden on 1½ acres in Stockton, New Jersey. The garden mimics nature in an artistic way, with layers of native perennials planted in the garden’s heavy clay soil.

This meandering gravel path wraps around Golden’s property, with swaths of native plants, such as giant coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima) and Queen of the Prairie (Filipendula rubra), spilling into the walkway. Sculpture, vistas and gathering spaces lie just out of a view, with a hidden discovery around every corner.