De Vlinderhof is located in the Máximapark in Utrecht and was designed by the landscape architect Piet Oudolf. Initiator Marc Kikkert, who lived near where the Máxima Park would be located, together with a group of local residents, ensured that there would be a place for Piet Oudolf's garden here. The garden was built by a group of volunteers and is still enthusiastically maintained by volunteers. The name Vlinderhof was chosen because everyone has a positive association with butterflies.

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Oudolf designed the garden in 21 sections, including sunbeds, shady areas (with trees) and a number of tall borders. The sections are not tightly laid out, but are structured with organic lines. There is a paved road in the middle of the garden and the other paths between the sections are made of grass. The garden is surrounded by hedges that highlight the border between the Vlinderhof and the rest of the Máximapark. Oudolf found it important to work with contrasts, and that is reflected in the planting plans for the sections. In this way, he combines contrasting colors and shapes of the plants.

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Landscape architect Piet Oudolf was born in Haarlem in 1944. Since 1982, he has owned a large garden in Hummelo that he designed and planted entirely in his own style. It was open to the public for a while, but Oudolf has become more known for his international projects. For example, he designed the Gardens of Remembrance and the High Line in New York and the garden at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein. In The Netherlands, he is best known for the garden around Museum Voorlinden in Wassenaar. The style used by Piet Oudolf is inspired, among others, by landscape architect Mien Ruys. Nevertheless, Oudolf's gardens look more natural, because of the more organic lines and the use of ornamental grasses among the perennials, which move with the wind.

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Piet Oudolf used almost a hundred perennials for the Vlinderhof. The use of perennials was important to him and also fits seamlessly with the ideas of the 'Dutch Wave', also known as the 'New Perennial Movement'. This movement originated in the 1970s and was a response to the strict gardening culture that was common in the years before. The important pillars of the Dutch Wave are that they gardened more with nature, used looser plants and saw beauty not only in the flowering time of a plant, but also in the structure and shape of the plant itself.

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That is why Oudolf also attached great importance to the beauty of the plants outside the flowering period. Especially at the end of the summer, when the plants begin to die. The withered plants are taking on new shapes and these are also part of the beauty of nature. The plants in the Vlinderhof are also not removed immediately after the summer, but remain standing all year round.

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De Vlinderhof is freely accessible throughout the year. Check out the website for more information.

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Sources:

https://vlinderhof.com/

https://oudolf.com/garden/vlinderhof

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