Continuing on the topic of gardens and landscape designs here are Nancy’s favourite landscape architects and garden designers.

 

 

​

 

Piet Oudolf’s Hummelo - https://www.gardenista.com/posts/10-garden-ideas-to-steal-from-superstar-dutch-designer-piet-oudolf/

 

Starting with the infamous Piet Oudolf, a landscape architect based out of the Netherlands. Best known for his whimsical designs that combine perennials and grasses, to create what he calls a “four-season garden”. The style embraces planting in layers and intermingling of plants, which allows for depth and a repeating theme across large spaces. Oudolf’s style looks at choosing plant material by that have a “long season of interest” so that they play an extended role in the garden throughout the year. This includes Salvia Pretensis, Hosta ‘Halycon’ and Aster oblongifolius ‘October Skies’. With a four-season garden one needs to be able to embrace the brown, the end-of-season blooms have a natural magic of their own. Piet’s most famous garden was that of “Hummelo”, the personal garden he created with his wife at their home that was open to the public for almost 40 years and is now closed.

 

 

​

 

Gertrude Jekyll’s Munstead Wood - https://www.countrylife.co.uk/gardens/15-colour-photographs-1912-showing-gertrude-jekylls-garden-height-fame-177494

 

Gertrude Jekyll has always been an inspiration for Nancy’s personal style of landscape design. Very much reminiscent of the English cottage style of gardens, she valued the plants we see familiar today, including Hostas, Lavender and old fashioned roses. In her partnership with friend and architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, Jekyll saw architecture as he main framework to any garden or landscape. This style directly inspired Nancy in the investment of a beautiful yellow English shrub rose at her previous home in BC.  One of her most treasured designs was that of her personal garden, Munstead Wood, which to this day is privately owned but well looked after. Still filled with the bright combination of colour and texture.

 

 

​

 

John Brookes’ Denman Gardens - https://sussex.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/denmans-garden/

 

Most famous for his knowledge, teachings and expertise, making the modern day garden, is John Brookes. Creating the phrase “the room outside”, when referring to gardens, Brookes based his grid systems of the design and measurements of the architecture and homes surrounding the space. His influence spread across the world, to homeowners, designers and architects. Famous for his re-design of the historic Denmans Gardens, Brookes combined gravel gardens with a modernist influence to create a timeless space.

 

 

​

 

Penelope Hobhouse’s Private Garden - http://www.siteandinsight.com/tag/penelope-hobhouse/

 

Penelope Hobhouse has been writing about gardens for the last 40 years, and is famous for introducing the English garden to America. In Nancy’s collection of garden design books, you can find multiple belonging to Hobhouse. Her ‘age-proof’ designs require little maintenance but provide layers of colour and plant variations. Much like Jekyll, her style steers away from the formal, perfectly trimmed gardens of the past and instead embracing contrasting colours and moods across outdoor landscape spaces. Originally inspired by the natural gardens found throughout rural Italy, Hobhouse’s quintessential style is displayed in her home garden created when she moved there at the age of 83.

 

 

​

 

Earth Inc. Project, Toronto - https://www.remodelista.com/posts/earth-inc-in-toronto-a-river-runs-through-it/

 

Last and most definitely not least, a current local favourite are the works of Earth Inc., (@earthinc). Located in Toronto their urban projects have a modern touch with traditional mass planting of perennial grasses and shrubs, and embracing or adding architectural elements. Now matter how small or large the space Earth Inc. is able to create an experience that reflects the surrounding home and environment.