Distinguished garden designer HENK GERRITSEN (1948-2008) was born in Utrecht in the Netherlands. He trained as an artist and made his living as a painter before turning to garden design. He was the author of several books, and his best-known garden design project in the UK was the reconstruction of the Waltham Place gardens in Berkshire. He also started the Priona Gardens in Schuinesloot in the Netherlands with his friend Anton Schlepers. Piet Oudolf is a native of Holland and originally studied to be an architect. Instead of designing buildings he became the founder of New Wave planting, a movement which takes inspiration from nature but employs artistic skill in creating planting schemes. As a plantsman, his aim is to emphasize the form, texture, and natural harmony of plants, and as a skilled plant breeder, he creates new varieties for these and other design purposes. He has designed gardens in Holland and Germany, and a public park in Sweden. The garden he designed with Arne Maynard for the Chelsea 2000 Flower Show won the Best Garden Award. His own garden and nursery near Arnhem, Holland, has become world-famous.
'A Bible for those interested in turning their garden into a naturalistic haven.' ' A Bible for those interested in turning their garden into a naturalistic haven.' ... a thorough knowledge of the ways of plants, an upbeat but realistic tone, and a lively and forthright writing style should commend this book to anyone with a thoughtful gardener to please || ... the plants themselves are excellent and well known to the authors who pass on their thorough and amusing cultivation notes alongside glamorous colour photographs || ... an invaluable directory of hardy plants for anyone considering new-style naturalistic planting