Piet Oudolf’s 2017 documentary film ‘Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf’ was presented Wednesday as part of the “No Festival Required” film series at the Phoenix Center for the Arts showcasing a look at urban gardens and creative pursuits.
Dutch garden designer Oudolf explained how he created fantastic garden layouts, intricately planned to look natural, yet not unkempt, and beautiful throughout all the seasons of the year.
Oudolf was raised as the son of two bar owners constantly preoccupied with the hectic lifestyle of operating a business, but rather than follow in his parents’ footsteps and become a bar owner himself, he reflected on his natural inclination to be a somewhat quiet observer, and explored his potentials for creativity.
“I wanted to create, but I didn’t know what,” Oudolf said in the film. “I wanted to do something different.”
After marrying his wife, Anja, who financially supported him until he established a career in his creative pursuits, Oudolf took odd jobs to figure out what inspired him. A job that struck him and ultimately led to his legendary career was a job at a garden shop.
The film details the conception and execution of his latest garden layout, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, from the drawing of the sections, each with their own theme, to the final product containing about 747,000 plants over the course of a year and five seasons (fall to fall).
“It’s like what we do in our lives happens (in the garden) in one year… and that works on your soul,” Oudolf said. “I won’t come back, they will.”
While many garden designers and planners in the film hailed Oudolf’s work as being a celebration of beauty and diversity in the face of global warming, Oudolf simply reflected on what his work as an artist means personally.
“I don’t know (if this will save the world),” Oudolf said. “I think it saves me.”
Oudolf also publishes books discussed in the film that help people build their own natural garden or gardens made of plants found in people’s local environments.
If not for endless experimentation in his own garden, Oudolf may have never revolutionized what urban gardens could be, and would not have been able to pass on his knowledge to floral enthusiasts around the world.
