Naturalistic Perennial Planting: Piet Oudolf and the New Perennial Movement
Naturalistic perennial planting — drifts of grasses and long-lived perennials chosen as much for their winter silhouettes as their flowers — is the defining public garden style of the early twenty-first century. Its leading figure is the Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, whose projects from New York to Somerset have set the international standard.
Hummelo, Netherlands
Oudolf's own garden and former nursery, where the style was developed in the 1980s and 1990s. The garden remains open as a public exhibition garden.
The High Line, New York
Opened 2009, Oudolf's planting of the abandoned elevated railway track in Manhattan made the New Perennial style globally famous.
Lurie Garden, Chicago
In Millennium Park (2004), Oudolf's first major US public planting, conceived around the Shoulder Hedge by Kathryn Gustafson.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Bruton
The Oudolf Field beside the gallery — perhaps the most-photographed Oudolf garden in Europe.
Maximilianpark, Hamm, Germany
An early Oudolf design (1995-2007) demonstrating his use of post-industrial sites.
Trentham Estate, Staffordshire
The Italian Garden replanted in 2004 with Oudolf perennials within Capability Brown's earlier framework.
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire
The Centenary Border by Oudolf — one of the longest naturalistic perennial borders in the UK.
Vlinderhof, Utrecht
The Butterfly Garden in Maximapark, designed by Oudolf in 2014 — a fine smaller-scale example of his work.
The Battery, Lower Manhattan
Oudolf's Bosque and Gardens of Remembrance, his second major Manhattan project, opened 2003.
Singer Laren, Netherlands
A relatively recent Oudolf garden (2018) around the Singer Laren art museum.
Explore on the map
All of the gardens mentioned in this article are pinned on the interactive map. Use it to plan a route, group nearby sites into a single trip, or compare gardens by style and season.