6 Designer-Approved Tips for Creating a Garden That'll Never Go Out of Style

Published on July 21, 2025

When Karli and Jim Hagedorn purchased their 1722 saltbox house on Nantucket, they hired landscape designer Julie Jordin to reimagine its grounds. It was no small feat creating a landscape that suited the architecture of the centuries-old house yet met the needs of modern life. But Jordin was undaunted: “I love creating gardens that have a sense of place.” Here's how she turned the overgrown landscape into a series of outdoor living areas—and her top tips for designing a garden anywhere that feels timeless.

1. Choose a Soft Perennial Palette

Perennials will be with you for years, so choose a palette that won't go out of style. Flowers in shades of gentle pinks and purples have an enduring appeal, and can make just as much of an impact as bolder colors. In this deep perennial border, Jordin layered tough perennials that deliver a profusion of color in the height of summer, including catmint, 'Millenium' allium, 'Cinderella' milkweed, and clary sage.

2. Stick with the Classics

For this firepit area on the edge of the property, Jordin opted for wooden Adirondack chairs surrounded by a mass planting of lavender—two timeless garden elements that bring a sense of ease to any outdoor space.

3. Incorporate Reclaimed Materials

Using aged materials that suit the era of your house unifies the spaces. The new backyard shed, for example, looks like it was built at the same time as the main house, thanks to its reclaimed shingles with antique strap hinges. In addition to it serving as a creative spot for the homeowner and her grandchildren, it also hides less sightly modern conveniences—namely, a generator and irrigation system.

4. Utilize Natural Materials

In the vegetable and cutting garden just outside the home’s kitchen, Jordin placed a dramatic arch of found driftwood by contemporary artist Kelley Jepson. “It fit the homeowners’ desire for some whimsy, but it has an aged character that suits the garden,” Jordin says.

5. Keep Modern Amenities Low-Profile

Because the historic restrictions prevented the Hagedorns from building a pool near the main house, Jordin placed one behind the garage apartment down the slope. A lawn and simple plantings of Nantucket blue hydrangea instead of an expanse of hardscaping help integrate the pool with the rest of the yard.

6. Preserve Mature Trees

Whenever possible, landscape around existing trees to lend a garden a sense of maturity. On this slope, Jordin worked around the existing chokecherries, filling out the area with large boxwoods. Antique granite curbing for steps reinforces what Jordin calls the "been-here-forever feeling."