In this garden designed by Tom Stuart Smith, russet colored drifts of grasses are startling in a field studded with clipped topiary standards. There is an evocation of time here; one is reminded of the classic ruins of Rome clothed in verdure so beloved of the 19th century Romantics. It is as though a once formal garden, now “gone to seed”, has achieved a new kind of splendor.
25. March 2008
Splendor in the Grass
20. March 2008
Get The Look: Meadow
Piet Oudolf creates a delicious composition with drifts of perennials knitted by tall grass. The strong colors are particularly effective against the green of the meadow. To reproduce this effect in your own garden you’ll need some amount of space; a certain depth . A tremendous amount of plants are used. For cost reasons alone, seeds are the way to go, with the perennials started in seed trays and then transplanted, and the grass self-sown.
Piet Oudolf’s wife Anja has a nursery on the premises, but the intrepid gardener can achieve this with some preparation and effort.
