Designing with Plants

Piet Oudolf's gardens excite the senses and stir the emotions. Representing a giant step forward from the conventional colour-themed border, this new approach to gardening gives just as much emphasis to form, texture, light and movement as it does to colour. Individual plants are used as harmonious elements in luxuriant and atmospheric plantings. Written in collaboration with Noël Kingsbury, Designing with Plants is an informative and visually breathtaking study of Piet Oudolf's planting theory and practice, and it provides all the advice necessary to create the same effects in your own garden.Beginning with the building blocks of planting design, a visual sourcebook of Planting Palettes illustrates some of the huge choice available in terms of form, texture and colour. The following chapter explains, with the use of planting plans and diagrams, how to combine these basic elements to create stunning and sculptural planting schemes. Theory is put into practice in Planting Moods in which stunning photography demonstrates how to create a particular feeling or atmosphere, and Year-Round Planting emphasizes the importance of choosing plants to give value throughout the seasons so that they contribute to the garden in death as well as in life. Rounding off with a detailed directory of key plants, Designing with Plants is destined to become an inspiration to all gardeners who wish to create, in Piet's words, 'an impression and an expression of nature'.

Piet Oudolf has designed gardens and public parks throughout Europe, and his own garden and nursery (run by his wife Anja, see www.oudolf.com) in Holland is world famous, having featured in many articles and books. He is a skilled plant breeder who creates new varieties for specific design purposes.Noël Kingsbury is recognized internationally as a leading innovator in horticulture and landscape. His main area of interest and expertise is nature-inspired planting design, and the application of plant ecology to design and garden management. He writes for the UK and US garden press and has written 15 books. Together with Tim Richardson, he co-hosts 'The Vista Debates', a monthly forum for the discussion of garden and landscape issues, at London's Museum of Garden History.