Landscape nigel dunnett. A brief context to set expectations.
Landscape nigel dunnett: Quick notes
When British horticulture professors Nigel Dunnett and James Hitchmough published The Dynamic Landscape in 2002, they pitched garden professionals on an entirely new naturalistic style of gardening. “It was really the first book that integrated ideas from ecology, horticulture, design, and management,” says Hitchmough. In the book, Dunnett and Hitchmough made the case for nature–like landscapes, ones that were designed and maintained by professionals but planted in a wilder style. Today naturalistic gardens are everywhere, but 24 years ago these were cutting-edge concepts. The book influenced and shaped the thinking of a whole generation of garden and landscape professionals.
Dunnett and Hitchmough have recently released a second edition of this influential text, but this book is more than just an updated version—you could even argue it is a whole new book. “Twenty years is a long time; you have a lot of experiences and you see the world very differently,” Hitchmough tells us. “We wanted to reflect that in the new book.”
Above: For 2022’s Tower of London Superbloom, Dunnett filled the castle’s moat with vibrant flower fields. The intersections between different color-themed seed mixes can be seen clearly here.
Dunnett and Hitchmough have spent the last two and a half decades making gardens, many of them quite well known and celebrated (see: The Tower of London Superbloom and London’s Olympic Park). They’ve also spent a lot of time researching the impacts of those gardens on people and pollinators. All of this knowledge has been poured into the new edition of the book, which is brimming with research citations.
One thing that hasn’t changed, which may ruffle some feathers stateside, is Hitchmough and Dunnett’s belief that urban landscapes are generally best served by a combination of native and non-native species. (When Hitchmough recently appeared on the Growing Greener podcast, it caused a stir amongst native plant purists!) At Gardenista, we believe there’s room for both, as long as aggressive invasives are left out of the mix.
We spoke to Hitchmough to highlight what’s new in the updated edition:
Photography courtesy of Nigel Dunnett unless noted.
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A Fresh Look
Tiny tip: Nice timing — I’ve been thinking about something like this.