One of the UK’s best-loved cooks, keen gardener and RHS Ambassador, Dame Mary Berry celebrated the formal opening (26 September 2024) of the new Oudolf Landscape at RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey, as the immense borders come to their peak in their first growing season.
Mary Berry placed the final flourishes of ‘self-raising flower’ on top of a 1.5m floral cake, with over 1,000 blooms including seasonal stems of British hydrangea, dahlias, seedum and zinnias. The celebratory floral ‘cake’ has been designed and created by one the country’s best known and admired florists – Simon Lycett, which as well as including colourful seasonal foliage and flowers, all of which have been sustainably arranged, has a selection of plants that celebrate the borders and Piet Oudolf’s known love of plants such as achillea and echinacea.
About the Oudolf Landscape: Situated between the Viewing Mount and RHS Garden Wisley’s The Glasshouse, the Piet Landscape has had a radical re-design to become the wonderful Oudolf Landscape. Dutch garden designer and plantsman Piet Oudolf created the original borders more than 20 years ago and re-design work and large scale planting recently finished in the spring is now in its first season of flowering. The newly planted landscape will allow visitors to be enveloped in Piet’s signature ‘New Perennial’ style.
Replacing his original design is now a sinuous path that weaves through the landscape, taking visitors on an immersive journey to experience Piet’s famous planting style, featuring grids of naturalistic planting combinations designed to excite and inspire.
With a sweeping mix of perennials, grasses and woody plants the new Oudolf Landscape has an amazing 36,000 perennials, encompasses 3000m² of planted beds with 162 different types of perennials, including echinacea purpurea, salvia nemorasa, stipa barbata and gigantea, centaurea montana and shrubs syringa pekinensis (Peking lilac) and aesculus parviflora (Bottlebrush buckeye).
Piet explained he wanted to give those who come to see the Oudolf Landscape plenty to learn from, and provide ideas to take back to their own gardens. The new island beds and wonderfully weaving footpath encourages people to take their time, sit for a while and feel a part of the Oudolf Landscape. It connects RHS Garden Wisley’s Rock Garden and Arboretum more closely to the Glasshouse, linking up more areas of the garden.
Commenting on the Oudolf Landscape Peter Jones, Garden Manager at RHS Garden Wisley, said: “Even in its first flowering season the Oudolf Landscape borders look stunning. It’s changing colours and textures have created a wonderful display, and the planting also has many useful benefits for wildlife all year round. With so many beautiful plants it’s impossible not to feel inspired and want to recreate a little piece of this border at home.”
