Floratopia

“My biggest inspiration is nature. I do not want to copy it but to recreate the emotion.”

—PIET OUDOLF

Garden design is not defined as an art form, but I think it should be. If there was ever a Picasso of garden design it is the Dutch plantsman, Piet Oudolf (pronounced Peet Ow-dolf). He is at the forefront of a naturalistic garden style known as the Dutch Wave. This style celebrates the disordered cycles of life and death in the landscape using perennial flowers and grasses. Plants flourish during the growing season, then the seed heads and brown stalks of fall and winter are left to remain until the following year. They are as visually important as the fresh new growth of spring or the abundant flowers of summer, and so they are not cut down. The garden becomes animated with an ever-changing wildness through the entire year.

Piet Oudolf carefully plans his perennial gardens, but he mimics the feeling of Nature with repeating colors and plant varieties. He divides the forms of flowers and seed heads into daisies, spires, buttons, globes, and more. It all blends into a flowing symphony of perennials and grasses. Here are a few Oudolf garden design tips:

•Plant hardy perennials that withstand harsh weather.

•Choose “structure” plants: sturdy, long-blooming perennials and grasses that can be cut down in early spring. Plant up to 70 percent of the garden with these and repeat them in large swaths, spaced around evenly. For example, Oudolf uses varieties of coneflowers (Echinacea spp.) as one of his structural plants.

•Plant the remaining 30 percent of the garden with filler plants that provide feathery or airy texture or foliage color. Intertwine them with the structural plants. Filler plants include certain grasses, iris, sedum, calamint, and mountain mint.

•Encourage plants to self-sow among themselves.

•Plan out successive blooms through the year. Predetermine the location of the spring flowers, followed by the summer and fall flowers.