Noel Kingsbury to deliver the Leonard Broadbent Annual Lecture
Ness Botanic Gardens to host an inspiring talk ‘Wild about Perennials’ by garden designer, writer and teacher, Noel Kingsbury.
This year’s Leonard Broadbent lecture will focus on the ‘new wave’ of naturalistic planting design using perennial plants; introducing ideas and techniques to inspire your own planting schemes. This contemporary planting style is becoming increasingly popular within a stream of public projects like the High Line in New York, the Olympic Park in London and Trentham in Staffordshire.
First discovering nature inspired planting schemes in Europe during the 1990’s, Noel Kingsbury has been at the helm of the current enthusiasm for using herbaceous perennials to create low maintenance wildlife gardens in the UK and the US. Noel Kingsbury is credited with introducing the renowned Dutch Designer Piet Oudolf, father of the ‘New Perennial’ movement, to the English speaking world.
Noel provided some input into his approach: “You need to think about much more then flower colour to look at the whole plant, and plant communities. Fundamental is the idea of choosing plants that grow naturally well in the climate and soil available to them. Naturalistic gardening is not just about gardening but also observing and appreciating.”
Noel Kingsbury is the great chronicler of contemporary planting design. Kingsbury has been involved in over twenty books spanning the last two decades, most of them focusing on the topic of design inspired by nature and ecology. Few garden writers are as prolific or as influential. In 2009 Noel also received a PhD for his widely valued research in to the long-term performance of perennials.
Tickets are now available to book on line at www.nessgardens.org.uk/whats-on/ or can be purchased on entry to the lecture. £8, Students £4 (£6 Friends of Ness Gardens & Chartered Institute of Horticulture members).
