A Guide to Piet Oudolf’s Distinctive Wild Meadow

Dutch landscape and garden designer Piet Oudolf is known internationally for his elegant, yet dramatic wild meadows. 

In the 1980s, Oudolf was searching for more plant diversity than what was readily available commercially in the Netherlands. The perennial-rich grasslands of North America inspired him to trial growing different species at home. Gardening with vibrant echinacea, amsonia and persicaria led to the ‘New Perennial movement’ which is still evolving today. 

Oudolf and his peers embraced the cyclic nature of perennials in their designs, from new buds to seasonal decay. Grasses are used as a unifying matrix for their planting scheme, notably switchgrass, bluestem and deschampsia. 

He is most well known for designing New York’s High Line, a 1.4-mile-long, raised public walkway. Oudolf transformed a disused railway into an urban park. Birch groves, wetlands and sunny meadows are a popular attraction in the densely populated city.

Oudolf’s first commissioned garden in the USA, was Chicago’s three-acre Lurie Garden. It features many native North American prairie plant species, attracting both pollinators and people to this downtown area.

Read the ultimate guide to Oudolf’s work in Wallpaper.

Credit: Purplexsu via iStock.
Lurie Garden is a 2.5-acre garden located at the southern end of Millennium Park in the Loop area of Chicago Illinois. Designed by GGN, Piet Oudolf, and Robert Israel, it opened on July 16, 2004.