You know that age old question, “If you could invite three people to dinner, who would it be?” Well, my table only has room for me and one other today and here is my guest of honor:     

Confused? Well he is none other than Piet Oudolf, my current gardening BFF  and author of choice the past year or so. The Dutch born designer (side note – I am about 73.8% Dutch myself, born into the legendary Van Veen family of Northern NJ) has written numerous books on garden design, but my three favorites, to date are : Designing with Plants, Gardening with Grasses and Planting Design: Gardens in Time and Space. I have taken each out of my local library at least three times in the last year and I have never felt more inspired then after reading each of these masterpieces.

Oudolf is also a pioneer of the “New Perennials” landscape movement which favors the form and structure of a plant over other features like flower color. He has a love for “wild nature” which he demonstrates in his designs by favoring mass plantings that resemble what would you would typically see in a meadow. The photos in his books are “fantastic” (another side note, no more using the word “awesome”). Here are a few to whet your whistle:

Oudolf was never formally trained and has always preferred to garden through “instinct”. What a coincidence, I have never been formally trained and I garden through instinct too! Couple that with our shared Dutch lineage, and we’re practically brothers from a different mother.    
But what has inspired me most of late, is this quote from Oudolf:

“I like to connect people with the processes of their own lives. What it takes humans a lifetime to experience, a plant will experience in its own yearly life cycle. In that sense, gardening is a microcosm of life.”

Now that is some deep stuff my friends. Enjoying watching your perennials and shrubs die is not as wacky as it sounds. I now want to smack myself around a bit for all my complaining about the winter weather. It’s a perspective I really want to take to heart as we progress through each of the seasons. 

Well, as I wandered around the yard recently with an improved perspective that I can hopefully sustain, I managed to snap off the following photos, with a miniature Oudolf on my shoulder guiding me (am I getting creepy now?). Enjoy:           

Foliage of a Siberian Iris

Changing foliage color on a Yucca ‘Golden Sword’

Eupatorium ‘Gateway’

Boxwood ‘Green Velvet’

Hypericum ‘Albury Purple’

Physocarpus ‘Diablo’

Panicum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’

Itea ‘Henry’s Garnet’

Arborvitae ‘Rheingold’

Sedum ‘Matrona’

Caryopteris ‘Sunshine Blue’

So listen, Piet, if you’re reading this, call me and we’ll do lunch, my treat.

ONG