Dream Plants for the Natural Garden: Over 1,200 Beautiful and Reliable Plants for a Natural Garden

Dream Plants is a great book. The authers are upfront, the plants they critique are ones they have grown. While I might not agree with some of they're descriptions, I as a gardener realize that I have my own little piece of earth and they have theirs. I found it wonderful. The pictures, the layout, the descriptions, and yes, the I don't agree.

This volume, taken together with Oudolf's "Designing With Plants" -- an invaluable companion -- gives the gardener an inspiring and comprehensive approach to stylish landscape design and plant selection. Taken by itself, "Dream Plants" is a not necessarily helpful guide. It's hard to make sense of it as different from any other plant selection book, as it has no context. But in consort with "Designing With Plants," the design context comes clear: one has both the key and the lock in one place -- the design guide, and the plant selection menu. With both in hand -- and the photographs are lush and suggestive, and the plans bold and clearly illuminated -- there remains plenty of obscurity throughout. But there are not many mistakes here of continuity, and so one has confidence that it is as full and reliable a depiction of natural, early 21st century garden and landscape design principles and practice one can get between two covers. Contrast this with the dreary corporate planting schemes of van Sweeden and Oehme -- not an inspiration anywhere in their so-called "Bold Romantic Gardens". With Oudolf, the reader discovers as much about the the secrets of his design pallet as can be revealed without actually having him standing over your shoulder. This book is full of mystery, which is as it should be, with detailed clues and hints in the variety of plants discussed in detail, the photographs of combinations that demonstrate his views on plant structure, appearance and sequencing, and the useful back-and-forth between the principles of garden design he favors, and the selection of plants he uses to bring it to life.I would not purchase "Dream Plants" without also purchasing "Designing With Plants." Together, they are a fabulous combination.

In concert with Piet Oudolf's previous two books on ornamental grasses and on design, Dream Plants for the Natural Garden expands the vision of an already exceptional garden personality. As a dutch designer and nurseryman, Oudolf offers us his emperical advice about hardy plant selection from an earthbound perspective. Paired here with his fellow garden designer, Henk Gerritsen, Oudolf makes a bold case for the natural style advocated by an international group of landscapers. Instead of conventional groupings by color, Oudolf and Gerritsen communicate both their aesthetic and practical choices here under the headings of "Tough," "Playful," and "Troublesome." They espouse plants that grow easily without pesticides & fertilizers while providing year-round beauty. Oudolf has been renowned for his masterful use of perennials as players in gardens of four-season interest. This volume describes 1200 plants he and Gerritsen have chosen on the basis of behavior, strengths and usage. The combined results of their long experience, provide us with details hard to find in one place before now. Many of these plants are cutting edge (especially in the US) and thus, not widely written about in popular horticultural literature. As everywhere, the Netherlands have their own climatic conditions; thus, gardeners from other countries will need to extrapolate a bit. Luckily, the authors provide enough information on zone, soil and sun conditions to make this possible. The photographs maintain the high-quality of previous Oudolf books. However, since plant descriptions outnumber pictures, it helps to have some familiarity with the specific genera and species mentioned. The clean presentation of format, text and illustration make this eminently readable. As a landscape professional, I cannot more enthusiastically recommend such a distinct and useful publication.