Garden Design Case Study: Design Inspirations

The Front Garden

Chris Parsons has long been a fan of influential Dutch designer Piet Oudolf’s perennial planting designs, in which he weaves swathes of flowers, such as Echinacea, Hemerocallis, Sedum, and Eryngium, together with grasses to produce a sea of color and texture. She visited the Walled Garden at Scampston Hall in North Yorkshire, UK, designed by Oudolf and opened in 2004, and asked Godfrey and Ann along too, so that they could see the effect she had in mind for their front garden. The couple loved the way this planting style changes with the seasons.

Frosted Stems
Piet Oudolf designs gardens that are breathtaking in both summer and winter, when tall seedheads and grasses remain and look stunning rimed with frost (Image 1).

Color Elements
For dramatic impact, plant in large groups. Here, swathes of tall grasses (Panicum virgatum) are interrupted by a mass of bright Echinacea purpurea (Image 2).

Long-Lasting Perennials
Chris has used a selection of perennials with a long season of interest. Good choices include Rudbeckia (Image 3), Echinacea, Phlomis and Eupatorium.