PLANS have been revealed to transform the Glasshouse Borders at RHS Garden Wisley  — the area between the Glasshouse and the viewing mount — into an “immersive perennial paradise”.

The project is by the internationally acclaimed landscape designer Piet Oudolf, who created the original borders more than 20 years ago. The new landscape will open to the public in summer next year.

The area will be sympathetically redeveloped to create an experiential garden in which curving paths will pass through plant “communities” that naturally support each other. The much-loved views to the Glasshouse will be retained.

RHS Wisley’s curator, Matthew Pottage, explained: “When the Glasshouse Borders were first conceived in 2000, the RHS briefed Piet Oudolf to create two parallel borders in his New Perennial style. 

“While this area has rightly earned much admiration over the years, we saw an opportunity to create a new landscape that would allow visitors to better experience and understand Piet’s signature planting.

“We are delighted that Piet shares our vision and has created a plan that is not only beautiful to look at, but also reflects our changing climate and works in harmony with natural ecosystems. We could not be more excited to bring it to life at Wisley.”

Piet Oudolf added: “I was waiting for the moment to re-create these borders. So much has changed in how we want to see and experience gardens since the first design was made. Nature, declining diversity of insects and plant species are big issues.

“A garden like this will give back some of what we seem to have lost in most landscapes around us. Millions of visitors can not only experience this kind of landscape but also learn from it.”

The Oudolf Landscape, as it will be known, covers just under two acres and will be one of the largest and most significant examples of the designer’s work in the UK. 

Boasting more complex planting than the existing scheme, with more than 160 different perennials compared with the current 50, the new landscape will also help increase biodiversity in the garden and reduce the need for irrigation by removing the formal turf vista.

Around a third of the 36,000 perennial plants required to fill the new landscape are being grown by Wisley’s propagation team from existing plants in the garden. The scheme also contains 117 species and cultivars that are new to RHS Wisley. These have been chosen for their ornamental appeal, resilience to the changing climate and benefits to wildlife.

However, before work begins to create the new garden, the team must carry out due diligence work to trace a possible colony of protected Roman snails on the site. If found, the snails will be moved under licence by Natural England to a nearby area where they can live safely while the new landscape takes shape.

The charity is currently raising money to bring the plans to fruition, with the aim to starting work in the autumn, before opening to the public in summer 2024. Further information can be found at www.rhs.org.uk/oudolflandscape.