The Gardens of Ulf Nordfjell Merrell Publishers ( 2024)
Ulf Nordfjell ISBN 978-1-8589-4719-8 Hardback £40

This book is a compilation of ten projects completed between 2010 and 2020 by the Swedish landscape architect Ulf Nordfjell.
He first came to UK attention when he won Gold at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2007 with the garden A Tribute to Carl Linnaeus, soon followed by a Best in Show one for The Daily Telegraph in 2009.
Ulf is passionate about delivering gardens with a sense of place and are future-proofed for climate change. After 40 years of design work, he has developed a strong interest in combining nature and horticulture. The use of native plants is a key part of his ethos; he feels they have a greater chance of succeeding and this works with his desire to achieve sustainability.

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Grand scale projects
The gardens are explored in detail – one per chapter – and are split between northern Sweden and the South of France. This is quite a contrast and should be remembered when considering his plant choices – for example, we have higher rainfall here than in the areas described. Most of the projects are on a grand scale and big budget with, potentially, high levels of future maintenance.
One drawback of presenting a portfolio is that it becomes easy for us to recognise the designer’s ‘signature’ touches, and these can become repetitive. Granite, steel, timber and gravel are used to great effect with a strong and minimalist design, contrasting well with his voluptuous planting schemes.
He uses a wide range of plants to achieve succession and his planting palette provides colour, structure, year-round interest and wildlife habitat. Topiary and trees play an important part, in highly trained and natural forms. Fastigiate trees appear to be a favourite.

Exquisite photography
Each chapter contains a wealth of description from the designer and a kaleidoscope of colour thanks to the exquisite photography of Jason Ingrams. Wherever one looks, there is flamboyance tempered by crisp edges, sinuous gravel paths, carefully placed cobbles and those signature granite benches.

My favourite was the restoration project at Rydboholm Castle, Sweden, a historic garden that needed renewal. The result encapsulates all that Ulf Nordfjell stands for: clear design, classic formality mixed with exuberant planting and stunning structure. This complex project has produced a magnificent Baroque park with stylish modern twists.
The Gardens of Ulf Nordfjell is a book ideally suited to students of garden design. They will be entranced by the clarity of his designs and inspired by the many excellent plant combinations.

Review by Gillian Taylor