Planting Design: Gardens In Time And Space

by Piet Oudolf, Noel Kingsbury

Home gardeners with a keen interest in design, as well as professional landscape designers, will find invaluable advice in this new approach. The book focuses on the general principles behind creating successful and beautiful plant combinations in both time and space — working with perennials in the context of trees, shrubs, and the surrounding landscape. The authors suggest looking across, into, and through the landscape. They ask the reader to consider the rhythms and connections in their designs, through such elements as echoes, linkages, and repetitions. More than just theory, Planting Design includes practical discussion of topics such as soil preparation, plant selection, and garden maintenance. Exceptional photographs show growth of a designed landscape over time, opening the gardener to new ways of seeing and thinking about their landscapes.

Genres: Gardening, Design, Nonfiction, Landscape Architecture

176 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2005

About the author

World-famous landscape designer Piet Oudolf is principal of a small landscape design firm in Hummelo in the eastern part of The Netherlands. He has designed award-winning public and private gardens in Holland, Germany, Sweden, Britain, Ireland, Canada, and the U.S. "

Reviews

[Gang Chen, Author of "Planting Design Illustrated"]

A great attempt with an emphasis on the horticultural aspect of Planting Design

There are three main factors to consider in Planting Design: aesthetics, horticulture, and symbolism of plants.

"Gardeners and garden designers seek inspiration from a variety of sources. Among these, nature is perhaps a relative recent choice, a reflection of changing attitudes toward natural world..." Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury wrote. They continued to cover nature and gardens (use of plants with wild character, nature-inspired planting pattern, use of native species, avoiding formality, biodiversity, etc), ecology and habitat (ecological fit, visual ecology, etc), planting in space, plants on display, the mechanics of planting design, planting in time, and practicalities (soil preparation, plant selection, etc) and maintenance.

Planting Design is the most important aspect of landscape education and practice. It is also a subject that is very difficult to teach or to learn. "Planting Design: Gardens in Time and Space" can alleviate this problem. We need people to do research on Planting Design from different angles. Piet Oudolf is an innovative designer, horticulturist and plantsman, and Noel Kingsbury is an advocate of naturalistic planting. "Planting Design: Gardens in Time and Space" is a result of their cooperation. It has 176 pages and many spectacular color interior photos. It is a great attempt with an emphasis on the horticultural aspect of Planting Design.

[Carmen]

What a tremendous resource! Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury did an excellent job. Paired with outstanding photos of many of Oudolf's gardens, the book contains invaluable advice on garden planning, plant selections, how to group plants for different purposes, and even color advice.

[Anna]

Absolutely required reading. Should have read it years ago.