Gardens of the future

 Featuring Bruno!

Maximillianpark Hamm   For my first designer review I wanted to look at Piet Oudolf. He is someone who is frequently talked about in the Landscape field, and rightly so. He is most known for his planting, which is truly mesmerising. These strong pockets of prairie style perennials and ornamental grasses create a stunning wave of planting guiding the eyes along the pathway. For many designers it feels like planting is often an afterthought. Something they consider once they have designed the hard detailing features. For Oudolf it is clear that his passion lies within planting. He is able to compose an entire landscape through perfect placement of each different plant. Oudolf himself states "A garden is not a painting, but a performance in time. I put plants on a stage and let them perform. You can't control the planting, just conduct it."

Shute House                             I have chosen to write about Jellicoe because he is one of the most influential figures in the garden and landscape movement. This particular private garden immediately captured my interest, and as I delved deeper into my research, I fell in love with every aspect of it—especially because it was Jellicoe’s final project. The garden feels like the setting of a fairy tale, exuding an enchanting and romantic atmosphere. I believe this is partly due to its “deliberately restricted colour palette” (Beck, 2018), which enhances its dreamlike quality. Although not a botanical feature, I am particularly fascinated by the addition of black swans to the lake. This is an unusual design choice, one I have only encountered once before in a private garden designed by Andy Sturgeon, which I visited last summer. These creatures possess an emotive presence, further enhancing the garden’s whimsica...