Flexible in the wind, golden in the sun, changing with the seasons… Thegrassesandperennialsare now invited into all contemporary gardens. Is this apassing trend, like so many we see, or the expression of adeeper movement, rooted in the evolution of landscape and climate?
To answer this question, we mustgo back in the history of garden styles, observe what contemporary landscape architects are doing, and understand why these plants are so appealing today.
1. From the controlled garden to the moving garden: the history of styles
Each era has its garden style… and its dominant plants.
● The French garden (17th century)
Designed asa work of architecture, it emphasises geometry, strict pruning, boxwood, and flower beds trimmed to perfection. The plants aresubject to the hand of man.
● The English garden (19th century)
A reaction to formality, it valuescurves, romanticism, and a natural effect. It featuresclusters of perennials, flowering shrubs, and a composition conceived like an impressionist painting.
● The naturalistic garden (20th-21st centuries)
Born partly in the Netherlands, this style advocated byPiet OudolforTom Stuart-Smithplaces theplant at the centre of the composition, but with an ecological perspective. It values thepersistent structures, discreet but long-lasting blooms, textures and movements..
The garden becomesalive, changing, vibrant all year round.
2. Why are grasses and perennials appealing today?
This resurgence is not just aesthetic. It islinked to climate, ecological, and also emotional issues.
✔ A response to climate change
Grasses such asMiscanthus, Stipa, Calamagrostisor perennials likeEchinacea, Achillea, Nepetaaredrought-tolerant, low in water requirements, and oftendisease-resistant..
🌍 A study from the University of Sheffield (2021) demonstrated that well-chosen perennial beds retain water better in the soil and promote local biodiversity.
✔ An evolving and sustainable composition
Unlike annuals that need to be replanted each year, perennials and grassesstay in place, become denser, and evolve.They live and die, change colour, and dry out gracefully. They allow formore self-sufficient gardens that require less maintenance., but richer.
✔ An emotional connection to nature
In a fast-paced, digital world, many seeka reconnection to long time. Grass gardens, with theirballet in the wind, their subtle blooms, theirautumn light, offer us a gardensensitive, contemplative, poetic.
“I do not want to make a decorative garden, I want to create an emotional landscape.”
— Piet Oudolf
3. Ephemeral trend or sustainable revolution?
Grass and perennial gardens are nota fleeting fashion, but ratherthe culmination of a slow evolutionin our relationship with the landscape:
- Less mowing, more natural.
- Less formal, more flexible.
- Less decor, moreliving.
And above all, this trend adapts to therealities of our time: changing climate, need for biodiversity, desire for sobriety.
The history of the garden has always beena reflection of society. Today, we are no longer at the stage of “owning a garden”, but ofcoexisting with it.
Conclusion
Yes, perennial and grass gardens are in fashion. But no, it is not a passing trend. It isthe natural evolutionof a society that seeks to reconcilebeauty, sustainability and meaning.
AtGREEN VAL, we believe that these gardens are one of the best ways toreconcile contemporary aesthetics, low maintenance, and biodiversity. They fit into all styles — classic, wild, zen, or urban — and offer everyone a spacethat is alive, changing, and moving.