Garten / Garden

Dutch garden architect Piet Oudolf’s designs have often been described as works of art. That is why the garden at Gräflicher Park Bad Driburg is presented as an example here, despite not being a sculpture in the narrower sense. In Germany, Oudolf also designed a perennial garden in Maximilianpark in Hamm and a former clarification tank at Berne Park in Bottrop. Oudolf achieved great international fame with his designs for the High Line in New York, an abandoned above-ground subway track that was turned into a park. It runs along the Hudson River above the streets of Manhattan and even through individual skyscrapers.

In Bad Driburg, a band of perennials organically meanders through the grounds. There is a path in the middle, which is connected in segments by circular lawns that function as “joints.” Tens of thousands of coordinated plants were installed according to Oudolf’s precise planning, including numerous varieties of achillea, anemone, asters, echinacea, geranium, iris, lime, sage, and veronica. To the west, a dozen magnolia trees form a backdrop against which the perennials can unfold. It simultaneously creates a beautiful end point and addition to the historical sections of the park. Starting in September 2008, the planting and formal details of the new garden were carried out by the Gräflicher Park gardeners under the direction of park manager Hans-Josef Bickmann.

Source: Gräflicher Park Bad Driburg