Guiding Visitors Through a Meadow to the Front Door

Gradual Order in a Santa Fe Garden

Melissa McDonald solved the challenge of directing guests past a tempting meadow to the entrance. Her strategy: approach order gradually. At the meadow's edge, casual perennials (Mexican hat, Russian sage). Then an orderly row of blue mist (Caryopteris) spaced far apart for openness. Opposite side adds taller companions—white/pink butterfly bush, Maximilian sunflower. Purple coneflower, sedum, Siberian iris, daylilies add height, density, variety, balancing the expansive meadow visually.