Transforming and innovating: RHS Wisley's bold revamp of a iconic garden display
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In a bold and breathtaking move, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has unveiled a two-acre double border at Wisley, Surrey, designed by renowned Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf twenty years ago. The new planting scheme is a glorious and uplifting celebration of Oudolf's design and the skills of the RHS Wisley gardeners.
The borders at RHS Wisley now celebrate the year-round value of herbaceous perennials, with lingering seedheads and dead stems of perennials and grasses providing visual interest in winter and offering food and habitat for a wide range of invertebrates and small mammals.
One of the standout features is the combination of Eragrostis spectabilis, with its dark-green leaves that turn red and gold in autumn and carry deep-pink flowers, growing through spiky sea holly, Eryngium bourgatii and Baltic parsley, Cenolophium denudatum. This vibrant mix is punctuated by the airy stems and pale-mauve flowers of Scabiosa columbaria and by an occasional Cenolophium denudatum.
Another captivating pairing is the upright foliage of Allium lusitanicum, a dwarf onion less than 1ft tall, planted in a checkerboard pattern with the flat rosette leaves of Limonium platyphyllum. In summer, a froth of lavender flowers from the limonium will float above the plants, joined intermittently by pale-pink spires of Sidalcea 'Little Princess'.
The velvety-grey carpets of Stachys byzantina are paired with pastel-blue Salvia nemorosa and startling orange flowers of several Asclepias tuberosa. Meanwhile, the upright foliage of Allium lusitanicum creates a striking contrast with the flat rosette leaves of Limonium platyphyllum.
Piet Oudolf's planting styles prioritize the structural qualities of a plant over transitory characteristics of color and flowers. This is evident in the new planting scheme, where the majority of the plants were grown in 3.5 inch or 7 inch pots. The design introduces a meandering path that allows visitors to get close to the plants and appreciate the beauty of the groups of plants.
The new beds at RHS Wisley are already a magnificent addition to the Wisley garden, and as the plants develop and the groupings knit together, they will become even more breathtaking. The search results do not provide specific information about the new plant combinations John Oudolf used at the new RHS Wisley shrub borders.
However, it is clear that Oudolf's design encourages a departure from traditional planting methods. Ignore old advice about planting tall plants at the back and shorter ones at the front. Delicate grasses like Molinia caerulea 'Transparent' can be planted at the edge of a path to create a gauzy curtain.
To make an impact in a garden, blocks of plants should be as large as possible, with at least 25 plants in a group. This rule applies to Stipa gigantea, which will need at least a season before it sends up tall golden stems, but its tufts of evergreen foliage are an attractive background to other plants.
Visit www.rhs.org.uk/Wisley for more information on the new planting scheme at RHS Wisley. Leaving the plants standing through the winter is a daring move at RHS Wisley, with some traditionalists frowning, but many more gardeners beginning to see the value of perennial plants even as they die down.
In conclusion, the new planting scheme at RHS Wisley is a testament to Oudolf's innovative approach to gardening and the RHS's commitment to pushing the boundaries of horticulture. It is a must-see for any gardening enthusiast.
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