Laren, the Netherlands, September 2018 design Piet Oudolf
Five theme plants along with up to 25% of so-called complementary plants create many of the planting schemes in my series of eBooks on perennial meadow gardening.
Amsterdam, the Netherlands, May 2018 design Ton Muller
Amsterdam, the Netherlands, August 2018 design Ton Muller
Here is a new scheme, base upon thoughts resulting from seeing two similar schemes this summer; as shown in the images above.
Theme plants:
3 x 1 Sesleria autumnalis
2 x 1 Euphorbia polychroma
1 x 1 Heucher villosa ‘Autumn Bride’
2 x 1 Stachys monieri ‘Hummelo’
1 x 1 Sedum ‘Karfunkelstein (Syn. S ‘Xenos”)
This mixture will create a low matrix of varying textures with flowers appearing in sequence: yellow Euphorbia in late spring, Stachys in summer, Heuchera and Sedum in autumn.
Complementary plants:
2 x 3 Pennisetum orientale
1 x 2 Limonium platyphyllum
1 x 3 Eryngium x tripartitume
Bulbs – Species tulips, Camassia and Allium christophii
Complementary plants bring extra dimensions to planting schemes; sometimes by highlighting a particular spot (perhaps on the corner of a border), and sometimes by introducing a bold contrasting element. In this scheme Pennisetum orientale will be used at regular intervals across the whole planting area to create a summer spectacle as its fine, delicate, arching flower spikes rise above its neighbours.
To learn more about how perennial meadow planting schemes are created please read Meadows 101 of this site and the first Introduction eBook Perennial Meadows.
Asters, grasses and autumn tints are the main ingredients that brought my garden to its final crescendo this year.
Beauty is to be found in the chaos of nature and this year, in the struggle for life amidst the perennials and shrubs in my gardens. A drier than average spring followed by a totally dry summer in which a hundred days passed without any significant rainfall in a country famous for its canals; I was forced to turn on the sprinklers.
Shrubs held onto their leaves for as long as they could, but eventually many just dropped them and I am sure will recover next year. Some perennials like ligularias, Darmera and certain ferns simply disappeared and again I am sure they will all reappear this autumn or next spring.
What was interesting was how some plants simply dried up and remained effective after a short flowering period. In late autumn we would be talking about their winter silhouettes, but in July you needed to adjust your expectations to fully appreciate what was happening. In the case of this public planting in the commercial district of Amsterdam I found the result still effective and attractive.
More gardeners are starting to install irrigation systems, but if the trend in climate change is going to continue we would be better changing the pallet of plants we grow. I visited a high profile public park planting here this August which was of course fitted with an expensive watering system, but the lush green that dominated this oasis seemed strangely at odds with the wider landscape which was buff-brown; more typical of the Mediterranean region than temperate Holland.
We were allowed to water our gardens this summer as the one thing the Dutch are good at is water management, but in truth it felt wrong. Nevertheless it meant that I was able to keep the garden ticking over with some parts relished the extra heat, sunshine and, for them adequate, water.
Rain has finally fallen and within a week our parched, buff-brown land is green again. Asters, grasses and Rudbeckias are all thriving in the garden and surprisingly many shrubs are bearing heavy crops of berries.
It is in late spring, just after the tulips have ended, that I become delighted by the many flowering shrubs and distinctive foliage colours that seem to dominate the garden.
Of course there are various perennials flowering including Euphorbia, Geum, Geranium and bulbous plants such as Camassia and ornamental onions, but foliage colours and the flowering mounds of Viburnum and Deutzia shrubs attract all the attention.
My philosophy over shrubs concludes that shrubs are best used in gardens to create highlights and structure amidst a wider field of flowering perennials and ornamental grasses.
Even in my own garden where I trial many different plants, including lots of shrubs, the idea is evident, but ideally the relationship between shrubs and perennials should be far more pronounced. Many Deutzias grow too large for smaller gardens but I have found Deutzia rosea ‘Campanulata’ with D. x elegantisima ‘Rosealind’ (behind) remain sufficiently compact for my needs. The upright shrub on the right is Frangula alnus ‘High Line’. Its distinctive upright form suggest it would work in a variety of schemes, but I find it rather boring and not very elegant, for such an upright design feature I can think of many slim growing conifers that would look so much better, and would be evergreen.
Purple leaved foliage has featured in my gardens far a long time as it offers a strong, season-long contrast with the green foliage and flowers that generally dominate. Prickly Berberis, evergreen Pittosporum and Cercis with its flush of pink flowers on bare stems at the very start of the season have all proven indispensable.
In my vision of the 
My last post showed the garden three weeks ago just after I had knocked down all the perennials with the question “would you want your garden looking like that?”.
Well, as promised, the perennials have reappeared rapidly to cover the ground level debris and the shrubs are bursting into flower.
This is how it was just three weeks ago.
The dead remains of last year’s perennial growth will rot down in the course of the year, gradually nourishing the plants in a natural process.
Shrubs and tulips take a leading role at this time of the year.
The time I save in not carrying everything I remove to a compost heap, that I later must bring back to spread onto the ground is enormous. It might not look very tidy for a few weeks in early spring, but for me it represents the beginning of the new year’s gardening season.
Cycling across town to these gardens I pass a public space in which a good example of mixed perennial meadow planting has been created. In season it is dramatic and highly effective and in winter the plant’s silhouettes are attractive. However, the city council has yet to find time to tidy it up and what currently is to see there is very ugly. Although perennial meadows can be effective in public spaces and offer significant savings in maintenance cost, their maintenance needs to be timely and rigorous.
As it currently appears this bold planting is a poor advertisement for what is a very good model for public green space planting. In a few weeks time it will again be something the passing public will appreciate, but it should have been tidied using my snap and drop technique many weeks ago.
Spring is late in Amsterdam this year. Only three weeks ago we were skating on the canals in the centre of the city. Once the bulbs come into bloom and the shrubs blossom the scruffy ground cover will soon be forgotten.
Winter has really arrived here in Amsterdam. It is cool and wet and I am glad that I have finished my replanting projects. Last week I weeded here and there, tidied away broken or flopped stems, and topped up the wood chip paths.
The garden is quite tidy now if you can appreciate the look of dying perennials and their silhouettes, but in truth, without light they look drab and dreary.
