Philosophy

About 50 years ago Mien Ruys described her garden philosophy as "a wild planting in a strong design". A characterization that was so accurate, that there is nothing for me to add, be it that my planting is much wilder and my design much less rigid than hers.
When I started the layout of the Priona Gardens in 1978 together with Anton Schlepers, I had the awe-inspiring flower meadows of Central and Southern Europe in mind. That was the picture I wanted to establish in my garden. At that time I did not give the design much thought.
Except for the Gardens of Mien Ruys I had not seen any other garden, and the ideas that I had about garden design, were copied from her garden.

There is another quote from Mien Ruys I did not agree with: "One cannot imitate nature in a garden". Being pedantic, I tried to prove her wrong, but eventually I had to admit that she was right. The subtle plant communities that I planted in my garden, like those on limestone grasslands, were no match for the only plant community belonging to gardens naturally: the ground elder community (Aegopodion podagrariae), a community of weeds that use rootstocks in order to spread.

Because I still wanted to create a garden that would be experienced by the visitor as a nature area, a garden without artificial fertilizers or chemical pesticides or without waging a endless battle against weeds and marauding insects, I had to look for plants with a natural feel, that would be able to compete without all that fuss. I found them at the nursery of Piet Oudolf, whom I met in 1983. He grew bold plants, that were ready to wage battle with the weeds, but still looked subtle and natural enough to fit into the picture that I had in mind.

Together with Piet Oudolf I have described the result of 20 years of experience with wild and cultivated plants, that are able to compete in a natural garden without too much fuss, in the book "Dreamplants for the Natural Garden".