THE oudolf landscape, RHS garden wisley - BALI National Landscape Awards 2024

Award: BALI National Landscape Award

Category: Community and Schools Development

RHS Garden Wisley, the flagship garden of the RHS and one of the UK’s most beloved gardens, attracts around one million visitors annually.

The original Glasshouse Borders at RHS Garden Wisley were created by Piet Oudolf more than 20 years ago. The new Oudolf Landscape transforms these borders into a more contemporary and sustainable landscape and focuses on plant communities and planting that is more environmentally friendly. It is one of the largest and most significant examples of Piet Oudolf’s work anywhere in the UK and will allow visitors to become fully emerged in the experience.

Blakedown, in collaboration with the RHS Garden Wisley Team, focused on grading and preparing new beds, creating self-binding gravel hillside footpaths with mild steel edging, and assisting with the planting of 31,000 perennials. The site's topography was carefully considered to create a multi-level planting canvas and sweeping corners for the meandering paths.

The project was delivered based on a 2D indicative layout, refined and approved on-site through ongoing verbal instructions from Piet Oudolf and the RHS Garden Wisley Team. This collaborative and adaptive approach allowed for design changes at various stages and ensured a visually stunning and seamlessly integrated final result.