Thursday, October 1, 2026
A crowd of supporters, elected officials, donors and community leaders gathered at Oyster Bay’s Planting Fields Arboretum last week to celebrate the progress of the new Oudolf Garden, a one-acre landscape designed by internationally renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf that is scheduled to open this fall.
The May 28 event offered attendees an update on the garden’s development while highlighting what Planting Fields Foundation leaders described as the most significant addition to the historic estate in generations.
“Tonight we are here to enjoy the grounds,” Planting Fields Foundation board Chairman Duncan Sahner said in his opening remarks, “to connect with one another and to share an update on what is becoming one of the most significant new additions to Planting Fields in generations.”
Located behind the Blue Pool Garden and adjacent to the historic Rose Arbor, the new garden will be Long Island’s first public garden designed by Oudolf, whose work includes New York City’s High Line and numerous celebrated landscapes around the world.
Foundation President and CEO Gina J. Wouters said the project emerged from the foundation’s commitment to preserving the historic estate while continuing the legacy of artistic and landscape innovation established by the Coe family.
“What sets us apart is how we honor the Coe family, who gifted this incredible property to the people of the state of New York in 1955 and established Planting Fields Foundation in 1952,” Wouters said. “We place equal value on the preservation of what they left us, both tangible and intangible, and we keep their spirit alive by continuing the rich legacy of patronage of artists and designers they brought to the site.”
Wouters said she began thinking about which contemporary designer might fit into that tradition over four years ago. She added that when she considered that the Coes brought over “the best of the best,” when it came to landscaping, Oudolf was the only choice.
The garden is expected to feature more than 25,000 plants and 22,000 bulbs on what Wouters described as “the most beautiful acre on Long Island.”
According to Wouters, the project moved quickly after her initial outreach to Oudolf in 2023 and his first visit to the estate that October, during which he questioned how his contemporary style would fit into the historic landscape.
“Piet said — and I remember this — you said, ‘Gina, my work is very different from what you do here,’” Wouters recalled, “and I said, ‘That’s exactly the point.’”
The planting designs were completed within months, Wouters sasid, and construction and planting work soon followed. The garden is scheduled to open to the public on Oct. 17.
Beyond its visual impact, foundation leaders said, the garden is expected to enhance educational programming, environmental stewardship and visitor engagement throughout the 409-acre state historic park.
“In the coming months, this garden will become a major public destination and a source of pride for the region,” Sahner said, “and it will deepen our existing work in education, in wellness and in environmental stewardship.”
Kathy Moser, acting commissioner of the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, who attended the event, praised the partnership between the foundation and the office, noting the role nonprofit organizations play in supporting public sites like Planting Fields, a state historic park, across New York.
“The way that we make our 250 parks and historic sites work,” Moser said, “is because of partnerships like the Planting Fields Foundation.”
Oudolf, who spoke briefly, reflected on his initial impressions of Planting Fields and the importance of ensuring that gardens thrive long after their designers leave. One of his primary concerns when taking on a project, he said, is whether the people responsible for maintaining it will embrace the design and carry it forward.
“It’s not the work I do,” Oudolf explained. “It’s about people that have to work with it, and to keep it going, and to bring it into the future.”
The foundation recently hired a landscape curator who will oversee the long-term care of the garden.
Wouters said the project is accompanied by a major fundraising effort aimed not only at completing construction, but also ensuring its future maintenance through an endowment and dedicated staffing.
The garden is expected to transform a previously open area of the estate into a destination showcasing Oudolf’s signature naturalistic style, which emphasizes structure, texture and seasonal change. As construction continues through the summer, foundation leaders hope the garden will become a major attraction for both Long Island residents and visitors from around the world.
“I think I only have positive reactions, and I think I believe in it,” Oudolf said. “I hope you will like it, like I like it in my work, in the future.”
For more information on the Planting Fields Foundation, the arboretum and how to support the Oudolf Garden and other projects, visit PlantingFields.org.
