{"id":1383,"date":"2020-11-04T02:58:02","date_gmt":"2020-11-04T02:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2025-11-14T14:36:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T22:36:16","slug":"the-gardens-of-piet-oudolf-pollinator-paradise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/gardenecologylab\/2020\/11\/04\/the-gardens-of-piet-oudolf-pollinator-paradise\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gardens of Piet Oudolf: Pollinator Paradise?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Flower-filled
Oudolf-designed garden at Pensthorpe, Fakenham, UK. https:\/\/www.fiveseasonsmovie.com\/gallery\/<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As part of Master Gardener Week at the end of October, I had the opportunity to view \u201cFive Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf\u201d and participate in a discussion afterwards. This recently-released film has brought renewed attention to the gardens and landscapes created by this internationally-renowned designer. His popular public garden designs, and several books, have had a profound impact on the design of public spaces, as well as private gardens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oudolf’s gardens have been described as spontaneous, immersive and naturalistic, and rely heavily on grasses and structural perennials to maintain visual interest well into the winter. They evoke flower-filled meadows and prairies, and seem at first glance like places that could, indeed, have occurred spontaneously. Oudolf himself acknowledges, though, that they require a certain amount of \u201cinterference\u201d, and his design process is comprehensive and very specific. He has a palette of plants that he has tested over time for durability and effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the bloom season, one imagines these gardens will be buzzing with pollinators, and be places of lively, hungry activity. When it comes to pollinators, it seems, almost any garden is better than no garden at all, and a garden doesn\u2019t need to be designed especially for pollinators in order to offer benefits to them. As research in this lab has shown, though, a garden designed specifically to be pollinator friendly has an outsized impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I wondered, how pollinator-friendly are Oudolf\u2019s naturalistic gardens, really?
On the positive side:<\/strong>
\u2022 Lots of flowers. From early season to late, things are blooming. Plants are left standing well into winter, providing seed and shelter.
\u2022 Little or no use of pesticides.
\u2022 Native plants are often included, though there is no particular emphasis on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pollinator
Pollinator-friendly flowers in Oudolf Field, Hauser & Wirth, Somerset, Bruton, UK. https:\/\/www.fiveseasonsmovie.com\/gallery\/ <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On the negative side: <\/strong>
\u2022 Maintenance involves cutting everything to the ground in late winter. This destroys the winter homes of cavity-nesting bees that use the stems. At the Lurie garden in Chicago, this problem was recognized and steps were taken to leave some stems standing.
\u2022 Lack of layering. The iconic Oudolf garden is composed almost entirely of herbaceous perennials, with trees and large shrubs lacking. This limits the provision of food and habitat for a variety of creatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


I believe pollinators could be better supported by Oudolf-style gardens with three simple changes.
\u2022 Keep mowed areas to a minimum. Group plants with good winter nesting stems, and leave them standing until they are covered by new growth.
\u2022 Include and group small groups of larger plants such as suitable small trees and shrubs.
\u2022 Prioritize native plants where possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mowed
Lurie Garden with selected areas left standing for pollinators.
https:\/\/www.luriegarden.org\/2019\/03\/15\/cutting-back-on-the-cut-back\/<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you would like to know more about Piet Oudolf\u2019s gardens, plant choices, and design process, here are some reference materials. And if you get the chance, watch the film \u201cFive Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf\u201d.

Dream Plants for the Natural Garden<\/strong> by Henk Gerritsen and Piet Oudolf,<\/span> Timber Press 2000
Essentially a catalog (although not all plants are pictured) of plants that Oudolf has culled to be \u201creliable plants that, over the years, can be maintained in an average garden without too much in the way of artificial props and bolstering\u201d. Many of them \u201clook good dead\u201d, too. These are the plants he uses in his designs. They are divided into categories of Tough Perennials (the longest section by far), Playful Biennials and Annuals, Troublesome Invasive Plants, and Troublesome Capricious Plants \u2013 hardly the usual categories!
If you are an experienced gardener and want an invaluable reference for plants that will enhance your natural garden without requiring loads of work, this book is for you.

Planting Design: Gardens in Time and Space<\/strong> by Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury<\/span>, Timber Press 2005
On the other hand, if you are not an experienced gardener, this book might be a better place to start. It is a thrifty introduction to the concepts of how gardens fit into nature, and vice versa, and how plants can be used through space \u2013 and time! \u2013 to create the desired outcomes. There are many lists of plants for specific purposes, such as Small Trees to combine with perennials, and Biennials for self-sowing, and a short but useful section on how to prepare for, implement, and maintain a planting of this sort.

Planting: A New Perspective<\/strong> by Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury<\/span>, Timber Press 2013
This book builds on the previous two, offering a detailed look at the techniques and philosophy Oudolf uses to design his gardens, as well as specific ways in which he uses plants in them. A season-by-season guide dissects various effects and combinations, and a chart towards the end concisely organizes many of the plants used. One of the most interesting concepts is that of matrix planting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Several
Several of Piet Oudolf’s books<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For more detail on the creation of specific gardens by Piet Oudolf, there are also books on Hummelo, the High Line, and Durslade Farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Self-Sustaining Garden<\/strong> by Peter Thompson<\/span>, Timber Press 2007
In this book matrix planting is presented in great detail. This is an effective and efficient way of designing intermingled plantings without having to specify the location of each and every plant. The matrix (often grasses) may be made up of several plant species, and serves as a stage for other, showier compatible plants embedded in it.

Dramatic Effects with Architectural Plants<\/strong> by Noel Kingsbury<\/span>, Overlook Press, 1997
Oudolf\u2019s chief writing partner has produced many noteworthy books himself. As the title describes, this book focuses on plants with strong and dramatic architecture. Having some of these in the mix is a key technique that makes Oudolf\u2019s designs work.

Naturalistic Planting Design<\/strong> by Nigel Dunnett<\/span>, filbert press 2019
With a foreword by, who else, Piet Oudolf, this is one of the most recent entries in the category of books focusing on natural or naturalistic design. It\u2019s a dense book with at least as much text as photography, covering garden lore from historic, through contemporary, and looking to the future. Basic design principles, as they pertain to a naturalistic design, are also presented, along with a series of case studies illustrated by seasonal photos.

Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest<\/span><\/strong> by Arthur Kruckeberg<\/span> and Linda Chalker-Scott, University of Washington Press, 2019.
And finally, if you want to use PNW native plants to achieve Oudolf-like effects in your garden, this recent book is an accessible, thorough, well-illustrated guide to those plants. You will find it easy to browse through for plants that have the look you want. Symbols by each photo give a hint as to each plant\u2019s cultural requirements.

Other resources:
The blog Gardenista has several lovely entries on aspects of Oudolf\u2019s designs. https:\/\/www.gardenista.com\/posts\/?t=oudolf#search<\/a>
Piet talks about current projects in this recent interview: https:\/\/www.hauserwirth.com\/ursula\/29413-attached-world-piet-oudolf-garden-life<\/a>

If you want LOTS of pictures to look at, try Piet Oudolf\u2019s Flickr photostream, https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/10470961@N03\/<\/a>

Or his own website https:\/\/oudolf.com\/<\/a>
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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