Planting, by famed landscape architects Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury, is a groundbreaking moment in horticulture. It is the first book to share Oudolf’s original planting plans and plant groupings and the only book to explicitly show how his gardens and landscapes are made. An intimate knowledge of plants is essential to the success of this approach and Planting makes Oudolf’s considerable understanding of plant ecology and performance accessible, explaining how plants behave in different situations, what goes on underground, and which species make good neighbors. Extensive plant charts and planting plans will help you choose plants for their structure, color, and texture as well as the way they perform in the landscape. A detailed directory, with details each plant’s life expectancy, the persistence of its seedheads, its tendency to spread, and propensity to self-seed, is an invaluable resource.Planting is an essential resource for designers and gardeners looking to create plant-rich, beautiful gardens that support biodiversity and nourish the human spirit.
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The New York Times Book Review - Dominique Browning
…indispensable for those who admire naturalistic drifts of perennials…Planting is an impassioned plea for packing beds tightly, interlacing species lightly, choosing plants that survive multiple stresses, letting seed heads stand through winter. The book offers plans for professional and amateur alike.
Adam Woodruff, Designers on Design (APLD) - Valerie Easton
"Oudolf is eager to teach the rest of us how to recreate the effect in our home gardens…of particular interest are the book's detailed planting plans, which show how Oudolf, who designed a reclaimed landscape atop the abandoned railroad tracks of Manhattan's elevated High Line, deliberately creates a "layered look" that looks unstudied and provides year-round interest."
Elle Décor - Mary Keen
"The release of this book marks a watershed moment. We are offered substantially greater insight into Piet Oudolf’s design process. Using original planting plans, e.g., Trentham Estate, Potter’s Fields Park, High Line, the authors explain in detail how Oudolf creates his gardens and landscapes… It is destined to be required reading for aspiring landscape designers, landscape architects and those interested in naturalistic planting design."
The Guardian - Mitchell Owens
"In Planting: A New Perspective (Timber Press), written with fellow landscape architect Noel Kingsbury, Oudolf details for the first time the specific ingredients that go into his horticultural alchemy, and even includes original plans and plant charts."
Grounded Design - Dominique Browning
"It treads a well-pitched line in providing gritty information to the professional and the amateur alike… It is fascinating to see this pinnacle of public naturalistic planting explained and contextualized."
Landscape Architecture Magazine - Malinda Hatch
"In Planting: A New Perspective, Oudolf and Kingsbury detail what it takes to design, plant, and maintain the new nature-like landscapes. This is a how-to book that will leave you with the information, courage, and enthusiasm to approach your own landscape in a new way… The authors leave no doubt about the importance of natural beauty to human life, and they show how to reproduce aspects of it successfully"
The English Garden
"In Planting: A New Perspective, Oudolf and Kingsbury detail what it takes to design, plant, and maintain the new nature-like landscapes. This is a how-to book that will leave you with the information, courage, and enthusiasm to approach your own landscape in a new way… The authors leave no doubt about the importance of natural beauty to human life, and they show how to reproduce aspects of it successfully"
Pacific NW Magazine - Rory DuSoir
“This is a thoughtful, insightful guide that deserves serious consideration.”
The Telegraph - Katie Elzer-Peters
“No one does ecology-based plant harmonies better than these two, and it's just so sweepingly, stunningly beautiful.”
Daily AD
“A fascinating and technical exposition of how Piet has changed the way plants are used.”
The New York Times Book Review
“Packed with detailed and enticingly adaptable plans, the 280-page volume is a one-stop seminar of the Oudolfian system of gardening, which is as much about advance planning as it is about total chance.”
Landscape Architecture Magazine
"Indispensable… an impassioned plea for packing beds tightly, interlacing species lightly, choosing plants that survive multiple stresses, [and] letting seed heads stand through winter."
Gardens Illustrated
“The book includes an extensive plant directory, which covers detailed information about each plant mentioned in the book; from the plant measurements, flowering season and spreading ability to the foliage architecture (plus lots more). It is a great guide for anyone wishing to try out the style Piet Oudolf uses in his magnificent gardens.”
The Wilmington Star-News
“A fascinating insight into Piet Oudolf’s approach to design.”
From the Publisher
“Top garden designers Oudolf and Kingsbury consider twenty-first-century gardening trends and challenges in this essential, informative, and inspiring guide.”
Chicago Tribune
"A wonderful primer for the home garden."
Booklist
“You could get lost in the landscapes featured in this book. Oudolf and Kingsbury explain how to combine long-lived perennials and woody landscape plants to create gardens that mimic nature and provide interest year-round. Study it and you'll be one step closer to designing your own tumbling, flopping, blooming-meadow-inspired border of flowers, shrubs and grasses.”
Gardenista
"Oudolf is eager to teach the rest of us how to recreate the effect in our home gardens…of particular interest are the book's detailed planting plans, which show how Oudolf, who designed a reclaimed landscape atop the abandoned railroad tracks of Manhattan's elevated High Line, deliberately creates a "layered look" that looks unstudied and provides year-round interest."
Designers on Design (APLD) Adam Woodruff
"The release of this book marks a watershed moment. We are offered substantially greater insight into Piet Oudolf’s design process. Using original planting plans, e.g., Trentham Estate, Potter’s Fields Park, High Line, the authors explain in detail how Oudolf creates his gardens and landscapes… It is destined to be required reading for aspiring landscape designers, landscape architects and those interested in naturalistic planting design."
Elle Décor
"In Planting: A New Perspective (Timber Press), written with fellow landscape architect Noel Kingsbury, Oudolf details for the first time the specific ingredients that go into his horticultural alchemy, and even includes original plans and plant charts."
The Guardian - Dan Pearson
"It treads a well-pitched line in providing gritty information to the professional and the amateur alike… It is fascinating to see this pinnacle of public naturalistic planting explained and contextualized."
Gardenista - Thomas Rainer
"Luscious photographs and meticulous explanations of techniques and methods make this an essential reference guide and constant source of inspiration."
Library Journal
European landscape architects Oudolf and Kingsbury (coauthors, Planting Design) believe 21st-century gardens are all about working with Mother Nature rather than against her. The authors are convinced that perennials are the key to a striking garden that also supports biodiversity, so not surprisingly, their latest book is all about perennials, from selecting the right ones for your soil and location to grouping and combining them in a garden. After opening with an overview of the symbiotic relationship between gardens and the ecosystem, the authors provide a detailed blueprint for how they mix and match plants to achieve maximum effects with a minimum impact on the environment. The book's gorgeous photographs of the gardens created by Oudolf—including New York City's High Line and the Lurie Garden in Chicago—effectively illustrate their design philosophy, while an included plant directory provides practical details on those varieties the authors have found most useful in their work. VERDICT This is a thoughtful, insightful guide that deserves serious consideration by garden design professionals as well as anyone involved in public landscaping projects. In addition, home gardeners willing to invest the time needed to absorb the authors' thought processes will be richly rewarded with beautiful, ecologically sound gardens.—John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ
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