Wild by Design is Tim Pilgrim's case for naturalistic gardening as a distinct Australian practice — grounded in ecological thinking, seasonal change, and the visual intelligence of letting plants lead.
About This Book
Naturalistic gardening has long been shaped by European and North American precedents, but the Australian landscape operates on different terms: different light, different flora, different climate futures. Wild by Design positions this movement firmly in local context, arguing that the looseness, texture, and seasonal rhythm of Australian naturalistic gardens constitute something genuinely singular. Tim Pilgrim moves between philosophy and practice — addressing soil, composition, propagation, and maintenance — while a detailed pictorial guide to his 100 most trusted plants gives the book real working utility. For landscape designers and serious home gardeners alike, this is both a design manifesto and a practical reference.
Key Features
- 320 pages of naturalistic garden design philosophy, plant guides, and photography by Martina Gemmola
- Photography by Martina Gemmola
- Pictorial guide to 100 plants selected for naturalistic compositions
- Published by Murdoch Books
What You'll Discover
- Why Australian naturalistic gardens are distinct from their international counterparts — and what qualities of light, climate, and flora define them
- How to approach soil, materials, composition, propagation, and maintenance through a plant-driven rather than form-driven design philosophy
- A curated reference to 100 plants Pilgrim trusts for naturalistic compositions, with guidance on how they function within a broader planting design
- How to think about the garden as wildlife habitat and climate-adaptive landscape, whether working with an established garden or starting from scratch
About the Author
Tim Pilgrim is a landscape designer with a practice rooted in naturalistic and ecologically informed approaches to the Australian garden. Wild by Design draws on his accumulated plant knowledge and design philosophy to articulate a distinctly local vision of the naturalistic movement.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 320
- Dimensions: 26 x 21 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781761500411
- Publisher: Murdoch Books
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Landscape designers exploring ecological and naturalistic design philosophies, home gardeners — urban and rural — seeking a plant-driven approach, and anyone interested in how the Australian environment demands its own design language.