Two-thirds of the way down the walk, as I approached the Miscanthus focal point, my attention shifted to the entrance to a second garden room. The turf was bisected by a diagonal walk which lead to a circular bed of Miscanthus.

Immediately in front of the stone terrace was a large turf area surrounded with mixed borders. I entered the front garden, near the house, through an opening in the hedge and onto a stone terrace where Stipa tennuissima volunteers were growing. In a couple of places there were breaks in the hedge to allow strategic glimpses into the front garden.įRONT GARDEN (click on the photo below to open a Flickr slide-show) There was a lovely mixed border with ornamental trees, small shrubs and various perennials which flanked the drive (to the right) with hedging as a backdrop. I walked through a gated entry and up a cobble drive to reach the main house and entrance. It was not completely visible from the road, due to substantial straight clipped hedges of beech (Fagus sylvatica), English yew (Taxus baccata) and organic clipped hedges of beech, oak, Amelanchier, Cornus mas and Acer campestre. From satellite images, the main house appears to be centered on the property. It is in a rural setting just outside the village of Hummelo. These photos were taken primarily for my personal use.ĪPPROACH (click on the photo below to open a Flickr slide-show)įrom Amsterdam, it took about 2 1/2 hours (via train, then a bus) to reach the Oudolf’s property. Please note, I am not a professional photographer.

It may prove useful to reference the image when viewing the slideshows. Additionally, I am including a link to a Google Maps satellite image of the Oudolf property ( Broekstraat 17, Hummelo ). I’ll offer a brief commentary on each area. You might then imagine my excitement when the opportunity to travel to The Netherlands presented itself!ĭue to the large number of photos I collected over the two days I visited the Oudolf’s garden I’ve divided them into Flickr slide-shows so readers will have an opportunity to ‘walk through’ the property in a somewhat logical fashion (Approach, Front Garden, Patio Garden, Studio, Trial Garden and Nursery). My close proximity to the Lurie Garden at Millennium Park in Chicago provides seasonal opportunities to appreciate the development of one of his grand scale gardens and study plant combinations in person. His gardens intrigue me and his design aesthetic influences my work. Much like Fran Sorin (as she noted in her fabulous three part interview last month), I am a huge fan of Oudolf’s unique style. One of the highlights of summer was my first trip to Europe, specifically to Piet & Anja Oudolf’s nursery and private garden in The Netherlands.

Anja oudolf