In fact, Piet Oudolf has always worked freely, ever since he changed the connotations of gardening. Like an architect, he designs by starting from an intimate knowledge of the materials at his disposal (plants) and like an (Impressionist) artist he composes to communicate above all an atmosphere. This may seem normal today. But it was far from normal when Oudolf started, in the 1980s: when the equation garden = flowers and colors was still the most popular idea. Very few understood his landscapes: tidal drifts of yellows and greens indistinctly mingling, patches of color, large stems swaying in the wind. Apparently indomitable spaces but in reality fully designed starting from the structural features of the plants (leaves, stems, seeds, rather than just flowers) and the way they evolve through the seasons (rather than only when flowering).

This is the essence of his revolution: gardening that is design and not decoration, enabling you to enjoy the beauty of the landscape in all the seasons by using perennials and that, precisely because of these features, is intimately sustainable. “A landscape of mine is what we would like nature to be but isn’t,” says Oudolf as he shows off his garden from the balcony of the Vitra Haus. It looks like a wild meadow, with 30,000 plants mingling with tall and low grasses over the continuous and seemingly random ups and downs of 4000 square meters. “I’ve designed a more untamed area, dominated by grass, where the plants are taller and sturdier. And then one organized like a matrix, around the building,” he explains. When he talks about the species used, Oudolf describes them as if they were people. At Weil am Rhein there is prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis): “It’s a wind grass, which creates the sensation of being in an endless prairie.” There is the giant Echinacea, a perennial and medicinal plant with “large, beautiful pale flowers”. There is burnet (Sanguisorba menziesii), with its spikes of feathery flowers, meadowsweet (Filipendula rubra) that “creates sprinkles of pink”, globe thistle (Echinops ritro), “with its spherical inflorescences that look like bullets.” The Vitra Campus garden is an immersive experience, closer to the extraordinary architecture that surrounds it than real nature.

Weren’t we in the age of authenticity? “Authenticity is a value,” Oudolf agrees, “but a garden is authentic when it is born from a deep knowledge of plants and respect for them. Like a platonic idea of nature that follows its rules but is still a human creation.” In the field Oudolf shows plants unmatched knowledge and respect. “I’ve spent years growing, exchanging and talking about plants, observing them in nature. Before even building our house, Anja and I built a nursery with a thousand different varieties. We followed their growth processes and loved them like children. So today, if I see a plant, I know very well what it will do when the cold comes, what rituals it performs throughout the year, what makes it feel good and what species it loves to surround itself with. Some are aggressive, others placid, still others welcoming. Like people…” So here is the paradox of Piet Oudolf’s gardens, which have made him famous and beloved worldwide. They are among the most studied ever, born from decades of botanical research and experiments. They use species from everywhere, yet whoever observes them will only be enchanted by the sense of spontaneity they express. “Most people don’t grasp the thought that went into my gardens,” he explains. “They sees color mingling, tall grasses, continuous ups and downs and think: it’s a wild meadow. That’s fine because the purpose of a garden is for people to feel good about it, not to say: what a beautiful design. Good design is always what is there but can’t be seen.”