Erik & Mathilde are the founders of Campestre, a landscape design studio based in Barcelona. Together, they craft gardens with wild beauty, known as “naturalistic” gardens. This approach and aesthetic guide their work on both open-ground projects and above-ground spaces. As dedicated users of BACSAC®, in this article, they share their philosophy and the plants they selected to create small naturalistic landscapes on their long balcony in the Catalan capital.
What is a naturalistic garden?
A naturalistic garden is an outdoor space designed with inspiration drawn from ecological dynamics and the aesthetics of wild landscapes. The concept gained real momentum in the 1990s, notably through the work of Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf, a leading figure of the New Perennial Movement. His approach emphasizes sculptural perennials, extended blooming periods, and strong seasonal interest, while embracing an ecological dimension centered on biodiversity, natural cycles, and sustainable resource management.
It’s a sensitive and poetic aesthetic that encourages a deep connection to the landscape, through the use of native or site-adapted plants. Here, the human hand gently steps back in favor of natural and spontaneous dynamics. Composed of complementary vegetative layers — trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, ground covers, rhizomes, and bulbs — it offers both visual beauty and ecological value throughout the seasons. Its design stems from careful observation of the surrounding natural world: shapes, textures, colors, and interspecies interactions all serve as sources of inspiration.
In our projects, we enrich this naturalistic approach by introducing edible and medicinal plants. Inspired by traditional physic gardens, we love integrating vegetable patches, food forests, and aromatic plants at the heart of our landscapes, creating vibrant, living spaces rooted in their environment.
We design these spaces with both human and non-human needs in mind: places to admire, rest, play, stroll, and nourish ourselves — while also providing nectar-rich plants for pollinators, shelters for small mammals, free-growing hedges, and berry-laden shrubs for birds. This approach is not limited to large gardens or parks — it can easily be adapted to smaller spaces, even in urban environments!
One of our first projects in Barcelona was the transformation of a 65 m² ground-floor lawn into a naturalistic garden. We planted 54 different species, all native or well-suited to Barcelona’s Mediterranean climate, to create what we called the Camí Salvatge — a wild path inspired by walking through a Mediterranean landscape. Rich in color, texture, and contrast, this ornamental garden also includes edible plants, fruit trees (pomegranates, lemons, bitter oranges), and aromatic herbs.
When you're in it, the scents, the sounds, the wildlife, and the overall vitality of the space give the feeling of being immersed in the garrigue. This project showed us firsthand the impact a garden can have on both people and the environment. Even a modest space can be “rewilded” and play a role in supporting biodiversity — while also nurturing our connection to the living world.
Transforming your balcony railing into a naturalistic landscape
It was by drawing inspiration from these gardens we work on that we designed our own balcony. Located in the Gràcia neighborhood, right in the heart of Barcelona, it faces southwest and is exposed to the intense summer heat typical of the Mediterranean coast.
We used several sizes of BACSAC® balcony planters and pots , which we strapped to the railings to preserve walking space and create verticality. The privacy of our apartment is enhanced by choosing plants with slender forms, without obstructing views of the modernist façades. To compose the plant palette, we selected perennial Mediterranean species that are drought-tolerant. By playing with textures, shapes, and colors, we created small countryside-inspired landscapes that maintain aesthetic interest throughout the year.
Which plants for a southwest exposure?
Here is a list of Mediterranean perennial plants well suited to a southwest exposure — meaning full sun and intense afternoon heat:
- euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii
- stipa tenuissima
- lotus dorycnium
- salvia greggi
- salvia leucantha
- verbena bonariensis
- melissa officinalis
- gaura lindheimeri
- helichrysum italicum
- teucrium marum
- origanum vulgare
- deschampsia cespitosa ‘Pixie Fountain’
- westringia fruticosa
- achillea millefolium
- lavandula angustifolia
- phyllirea angustifolia
- cistus albidus
- nepeta cataria
- erigeron karvinskianus
- centranthus ruber ‘Coccineus’
Tips: how to properly set up your BACSAC® balcony window box?
- Equip yourself with peat-free universal potting soil.
Note: since the BACSAC® fabric structure is sufficiently draining and breathable, there’s no need to add a layer of clay pebbles before filling with soil. - Start by filling the planter on the ground before strapping it to the railing. Be generous with the soil — the sides of the window box should be nicely plump.
- Once secured to the railing, adjust the planter’s opening using the next to the plants.
- Plant your greenery and optionally place an olla (clay watering pot) next to it.
- If needed, add more soil, then water, mulch, and amend with compost each season to keep the soil rich and loose!
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