Take notes from these regional gardens to use seasonality and structure in block planting your garden
In recent year , many gardeners have been striving to make a naturalistic style by mime designer such as Claudia West , Cassian Schmidt , and , of course , Piet Oudolf . Fortunately , we Mid - Atlantic gardener can look for inspiration locally . Delaware Botanic Garden as well as the High Line and Battery Park in New York City all have garden design by Piet Oudolf . I am lucky enough to keep a individual garden plan by this influential plantsman . From studying the design and participating in the creation of this secret garden ( along with visiting Oudolf garden in the region ) , I have observed a few conception principles that will help dwelling house gardeners get this typical Piet Oudolf look in their gardens .
Mass plant in blocks
Piet Oudolf is known for bluff swaths of color and texture in many of his garden . This impression can be achieved on a small scale in the home garden . The fair Mid - Atlantic gardener may not have way for 40 , 50 , or 60 plants in groups , but descale it down while still clustering the same plants together will make the same result . Be sure to group plants together to form tight blocks , and place them a little closer than you would commonly . The effect will be arresting at once , and as the plants fill in , they can easily be dissever and moved or will of course move around by spreading or reseeding .
Create winter structure
Structure , a hallmark of an Oudolf garden , is created by plant life with alone form placed together . plant that will stick out throughout the fall and winter calendar month are must - haves and will look great long after efflorescence . perennial such as ‘ Matrona ’ stonecrop ( Hylotelephium telephium‘Matrona ’ , Zones 3–9 ) , Tennessee coneflower ( Echinacea tennesseensis , Zones 4–9 ) , and Eastern bee balm ( Monarda bradburiana , Zones 5–8 ) can supply rattling structure year - round . The inflexible bloom stalk of all three of these plants hold onto the dried bloom heads for most of the winter .
Grasses can be used for anatomical structure while at the same metre they add movement to the garden . ‘ Shenandoah ’ switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum‘Shenandoah ’ , Zones 5–9 ) as well as various bluestems ( Andropogonspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–10 ) can stay up throughout the wintertime time of year , adding a vertical component and providing our animal friends an extra food rootage and some shelter .
Add pops of interest
On an Oudolf blueprint plan or in his design books , you may see that he tag plant life as individual , or scatter , plants . These plant are used to add interest to a larger group of industrial plant . Perennials such as yellow foxglove ( Digitalis grandiflora , Zones 3–8 ) , ‘ Perry ’s White ’ Oriental poppy ( Papaver orientale‘Perry ’s White ’ , zone 3–7 ) , and ‘ China Purple ’ bush clematis ( Clematis heracleifolia‘China Purple ’ , Zones 3–9 ) are dot through block plantings . These spread plant have the side outcome of adding a horse sense of gumminess to larger pulley block planting .
Plant for every season
Every Piet Oudolf garden contains year - daily round interest . One time of year flows attractively into the next by way of flower succession , foliage color , and grain . Mid - Atlantic nurseryman can achieve this by bet tonative plants . Gardeners familiar with industrial plant aboriginal to this region know the raw chronological sequence of colour and texture that they observe around them every year . Adding aboriginal or nonnative ornamental to the mix will make a realistic multiseasonal exhibit . For example , hirsute alumroot ( Heuchera villosa , Zones 3–8 ) , ‘ visual sensation in Pink ’ astilbe ( Astilbe chinensis‘Visions in Pink ’ , Zones 3–8 ) and Nipponese timberland grass ( Hakonechloa macra , Zones 5–9 ) all have more than one season of sake . When grouped together , this combining ply interest for every season .
Take cues from existing surroundings
Fortunately , the Piet Oudolf gardens at theDelaware Botanic Garden , theHigh Line , andBattery Parkcan be inspirational to any Mid - Atlantic gardener looking to create a menstruate , raw garden . These garden are unique in that they take component of the lifelike spaces where they are located . The High Line , an older railway system running along Manhattan ’s west side , was inspired by the uncivilized plants grow unattended along the empty track . Southern Delaware ’s flat , dry landscape painting amid farmland was the background for the prairie garden appropriately gear up in its surround . Taking elements of the natural setting while using Piet Oudolf ’s intent techniques will sure as shooting advance the Mid - Atlantic nurseryman ’s landscape .
— Michele Christiano has worked in public gardens for most of her career . She currently works as an estate nurseryman maintaining a individual Piet Oudolf garden .
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Planting perennials in groups, with careful attention to how they interact, makes these gardens flow while maintaining a sense of cohesion.Photos: Michele Christiano
This shade garden contains patchworks of repeat mass plantings for a formal, tidy look.Photo: Michele Christiano
‘Matrona’ stonecrop’s icy pink flowers fade into intricate yet sturdy seed heads that will stand through the winter.Photo: Michele Christiano
Plants with spectacular interest, such as this yellow foxglove, are considered “scatter plants”—they help to highlight perennial group plantings.Photo: Kerry Ann Moore
‘Visions in Pink’ astilbe and Japanese forest grass add color to this shady spot in fall, winter, and summer.Photo: Michele Christiano
The slope of this hill is turned into an asset rather than a challenge and used to incorporate some beautiful stairs that look right at place in the garden.Photo: Michele Christiano
