Considered "the most influential garden designer of the past 25 years," Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf has done for perennial gardening what artist Leonard Koren did for the concept of wabi-sabi: popularized and modernized an under-the-radar movement. Oudolf's approach to planting extends beyond the technical to concepts of composition, time and temporality, repetition, and contrast. His goal is to create "dream landscapes."
While Oudolf cites designer Mien Ruys as his primary inspiration, it's he who put her "New Perennial Movement" into motion on a global scale. Consider, for instance, New York City's High Line, London's Serpentine Gallery Pavillon, and a large-scale matrix planting project underway in Japan.
The designer's perspective is so pervasive that the first glance of a lyrical garden has us thinking "Piet" every time. Here we've gathered 10 dreamscapes of soft grasses and four-season garden beds, each with a decidedly Oudolfian attitude.
Above: Landscape architect firm Nelson Byrd Woltz designed 22 acres in Virginia with native species in mind. One is Pink Muhly Grass, a feathery varietal that creates a pink wash across the horizon when it's in bloom.
Above: A Napa Valley vineyard retreat is complete with surrounding gardens by San Francisco-based Scott Lewis Landscape Architecture. The garden was planted with, as the designer say, "seasonal color and strategic circulation," with narrow wooden pathways reminiscent of Ouldolf's Lurie Garden in Chicago.
Above: Designer Julie Farris' own private garden is a version of New York City's High Line scaled to fit a rooftop in Brooklyn. Photograph by Sophia Moreno-Bunge for Gardenista.
Above: British landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith plants grasses in repetition, creating a canvas for perennials and loose hedges. For more of his work, see 9 Garden Ideas to Steal from England's Tom Stuart-Smith.
Above: Dutch designer Andrew van Egmond planted a private garden of horizontal lines seen in soft wood hardscaping, ornamental grasses, and flowering herbs.
Above: From Cristiana Ruspa of Giardino Segreto, a garden of delicate Mediterranean ornamentals at Rocca Civalieri Hotel and Spa in northern Italy. For more. see Rehab Diaries: Resurrection of a Medieval Nobleman's Garden.
Above: A minimalist garden by Edmund Hollander is a singular approach to borders of perennial grass. For more see our post Required Reading: The Private Oasis.
Above: A cottage garden of delicate florals designed by Miranda Brooks.
Above: Another work from Andrew van Egmond: A poolside garden in Katwijk on the coast of South Holland is a balance of layered perennials and gray stone pathways.
Above: Le Jardin Plume, a converted orchard by owners Patrick and Sylvie Quibel in Normandie, France, features a pool that resembles Oudolf's design for Piet Boon's private residence. Photograph by Alan Pollock-Morris via The Telegraph.
To get the Oudolf look in your garden:
- See Required Reading: How to Recreate Piet Oudolf's Painterly Landscapes.
- Have a look at his work at Scampston Hall in Yorkshire, England.
- Tour Oudolf's own private garden where we Steal This Look.
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