First off, this guy has an amazing website which shows his multi-layered planting designs available for download.
http://oudolf.com/planting-a-new-perspective
Piet Oudolf is a world famous garden designer and author from the Netherlands, with projects across Europe and the US. He was listed in the top 100 most creative people in the world in 2009. His designs prominently feature grasses and his idea's are greatly influencing modern gardens. He is considered a leading figure in the "New Perennial" movement, using bold drifts of herbaceous perennials and grasses, chosen for their structure as much as flower colour. His philosophy prioritizes the seasonal life cycle of plants over their decorative features, and his idea of what beauty is in a garden challenges convention.
Here is a series of pictures and quotes I've lifted from the web. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for his books next time I step into a bookstore, this designer is well ahead of his time and his ideas are worth reading up on.
"It's about beauty, often a hidden beauty"
"It's dead... Anyone else would cut it back, but if you can see beauty in it, it's a real bonus in your life"
"Things are not pretty every minute of the day, but this light makes the golden colours come out"
"If you can see something in tiny things"
"You have to know your plants"
"Then you regard nature as an example for your designs"
"It reminds you of nature even though it isn't, I'm good at recreating that image"
"I see a whole four-dimensional picture in my minds eye"
