Piet Oudolf, Designer
Internationally acclaimed Dutch horticulturist Piet Oudolf was recruited in 2002 by The Battery Conservancy, who commissioned him to develop a horticultural Master Plan for the Battery’s landscape. The 10,000 square feet of the Gardens of Remembrance were the first phase of Oudolf’s horticultural design, planted in 2003 and inspired by the Battery’s location which overlooks 11,000+ acres of the New York harbor.
Based in the Netherlands, Oudolf was one of the first planting designers to introduce large-scale perennial plantings into public landscapes. He is known for establishing enchanting, inspiring and resilient landscapes utilizing bold movements of perennial plants and grasses. His style is one of texture, fragrance, and color, with a particular interest in seasonal variation, plant life cycle, and transformation over time.
Completed in 2005, the 4–acre Battery Bosque features 60,000 square feet of new perennial gardens. These gardens compliment Oudolf’s work in the Gardens of Remembrance with a graceful mix of rugged prairie and woodland perennials.
Oudolf will continue to advance his vision for the Battery’s horticultural master plan by designing the perimeter gardens of the Battery Bikeway. As riders move along the perimeter of the park, Oudolf’s swaths of plantings will stun them with beauty.
View images of Piet’s past work
View Piet’s web site