Planting the Natural Garden

About the book

When it was first published, Planting the Natural Garden--the first book by Piet Oufolf--heralded the start of the now immensely popular New Perennial Movement. Since then, Piet Oudolf has become one of the most iconic and groundbreaking designers of our time, responsible for some of the world's most important gardens, including the High Line, the Lurie Garden, the Battery, and Pottersfield. Fans of Piet Oudolf will delight in this revised edition of Planting the Natural Garden. Packed with plant information, new photography, and an introduction from Noel Kingsbury. It includes hundreds of eye-catching plant combinations, with an emphasis on the use of themed plantings that create mood and evoke emotion. Also included are plant lists and instructions for placing specific plants in particular habitats, as well as complete growing requirements.

Reviews

None

Quotes

"Irresistible and essential." --The English Garden "A beautiful and worthy revision of a garden book classic." --Gardens Illustrated "A useful DIY manual for home gardeners interested in sustainability." --The Financial Times ​ "A lush publication." --Landscape Architecture "A celebration of beauty, design, color and texture in a garden with naturalistic plantings." --The Oregonian "Packed with practical information and visual inspiration, Planting the Natural Garden is a must-have manual... and an essential source of information and inspiration." --The Gardener "An engaging and updated reference for designers, gardeners, and plant lovers alike!" --The American Gardener "Packed with practical information and visual inspiration, Planting the Natural Garden makes its distinctive plant palette available to all. For enthusiasts of these vibrant landscapes, it is an essential text. For gardeners who love the dreamy moods and colors that Oudolf and Gerritsen celebrate, it focuses on this planting style's power to move viewers." --Michigan Gardener

Piet Oudolf Biography

Piet Oudolf (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈpeet' ˈʌudɔl(ə)f]; born 27 October 1944) is a Dutch garden designer, plant nursery man and author. He is a leading figure of the "New Perennial" movement — his designs and plant compositions using bold drifts of herbaceous perennials and grasses which are chosen at least as much for their structure as for their flower color.

Design philosophy

Working primarily with perennial plant varieties, Oudolf practices a naturalistic approach to gardening. Taking a cue from architectural design, Oudolf prioritizes the seasonal life cycle of a plant over decorative considerations like flower or colour. He focuses primarily on structural characteristics, such as leaf or seed pod shape, present before and after a plant has flowered. He explains: "A garden is exciting for me when it looks good through the year, not just at one particular time. I want to go outside and for it to be interesting in all weather, in early spring and late autumn."The stability of perennials after planting are key to Oudolf's designs, especially the use of long-lived clump-forming species. The result are gardens that persist in their planned state years after being planted with little deviation from Oudolf's hand drawn maps.Oudolf's overall approach to planting has evolved since the 1980s when he and his wife Anja opened their nursery, at Hummelo, in Gelderland. His early work with perennials consisted of block-type groupings based on structure and texture. More recently Oudolf's gardens has experimented with a variety of approaches, which, broadly speaking, are more naturalistic, often using blends of species. The change in style has been described as a shift from a painter's perspective to one informed by ecology. It was first introduced into Oudolf's public work in 2004 as part of the Lurie Garden in Chicago. The approach can be seen in the New York High Line project.

Projects

Garden, near the Vitra Design Museum (2021) Oudolf Garden Detroit at Belle Isle Park (Michigan, USA, 2020) Meadow garden, Delaware Botanic Gardens (Dagsboro, Delaware, USA, 2019) Singer Laren Sculpture Garden (Laren, Netherlands, 2018)Vlinderhof (Leidsche Rijn, Netherlands, 2014) Hauser & Wirth (Bruton Somerset, England, 2013) Serpentine Gallery, interior garden (London, England, 2011 with Peter Zumthor) High Line (New York City, 2006) Toronto Botanical Garden Entry Garden Walk (Toronto, 2006) Trentham Estate (Trentham, Stoke-On-Trent, 2004) Battery Park (New York City, 2003) Lurie Garden, Millennium Park (Chicago, 2003 with Kathryn Gustafson and Shannon Nichol) Scampston Hall (England, 2002-2003) ABN Amro Bank (Netherlands, 2000) Hoogeland (Netherlands, 2001) Millennium Garden at Pensthorpe Nature Reserve Country Cork Garden, Republic of Ireland Parts of Kurpark Bad Driburg, Germany Municipal park of Enköping, Sweden.His own garden, at Hummelo, near Arnhem in the Netherlands was established in 1982. It has gone through many changes which reflect ... Read full biography