Piet Oudolf is a Dutch garden designer, nurseryman and author. He is a leading figure of the "New Perennial" movement – his designs and plant compositions using bold drifts of herbaceous perennials and grasses which are chosen at least as much for their structure as for their flower color.
Oudolf in 2009
Segment of planting design for Hauser & Wirth Somerset garden
Parts of Kurpark Bad Driburg, Germany
The High Line, New York City (20th Street, looking downtown)
A garden designer is someone who designs the plan and features of gardens, either as an amateur or professional. The compositional elements of garden design and landscape design are: terrain, water, planting, constructed elements and buildings, paving, site characteristics and genius loci, and the local climatic qualities.
Illustration from a popular nineteenth century book on garden design: Edward Kemp's How to lay out a Garden. The drawing shows how to plant a group of trees framing views to the scenery beyond