It's being called the most beautiful acre on Long Island. A new garden designed by internationally renowned landscape designer Piet Oudolf opens to the public Saturday, Oct. 17, at Planting Fields in Oyster Bay. The garden evokes a natural look, but has been carefully planned and maintained to the inch. It's inspired by nature, but on a hyper real level with more than 25-thousand perennials, bulbs, and grasses. The garden promises to be a meeting ground for people and for pollinators through all four seasons.

The one-acre Oudolf Garden is the only public garden on Long Island designed by Oudolf, whose work includes Manhattan’s High Line and Lurie Garden in Chicago. Piet Oudolf is the creator of the new perennial movement. Instead of fading after blooming, these plants have been selected for their winter skeletons too, bringing an exciting new way to look at the change of seasons.

The garden introduces Oudolf’s naturalistic approach to the historic 409-acre estate, where the Olmsted Brothers firm shaped the landscape in the 1930s. Situated near the historic Rose Arbor and framed by a mature white oak, the new garden brings contemporary landscape design into a setting defined by its architectural and horticultural history.

More than 25,000 grasses and perennials make up the planting, selected and arranged to create layers of texture, color and structure. The design may appear natural, but every inch has been meticulously planned, with more than 100 volunteers contributing to the planting effort.

Unlike traditional ornamental gardens that emphasize peak flowering, Oudolf’s designs celebrate the entire life cycle of plants. Seed heads, fading flowers and dried grasses remain part of the composition, providing visual interest into autumn and winter. The garden is also expected to change as its young plants mature and fill out the landscape.

The project reflects Planting Fields’ broader effort to connect its historic legacy with contemporary art and design. The Coe family, who developed the estate, supported artists and creative work of their time. The new garden continues that tradition by bringing a prominent contemporary landscape designer to the property.

Planting Fields’ Catalyst program, launched in 2020, commissions contemporary artists to create site-specific works across the estate, continuing a tradition of artistic patronage established by the Coe family. The 2026 installation, Fragment of the Foundations for a Babel Tower, was created by Dutch visual artist and filmmaker Fiona Tan and opens to the public Saturday on the historic East Lawn, just north of the Main House.

Inspired by the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, the large-scale installation features a labyrinth-like arrangement that appears both under construction and in ruins. Tan’s installation also reflects the tradition of the garden folly, a structure placed within a landscape to invite contemplation and invites people to stroll along and meditate. The work will remain on view through September 2027, with films by Tan also featured at the site

The Oudolf Garden opens Saturday, Oct. 17, at Planting Fields, located at 1395 Planting Fields Road in Oyster Bay. The grounds are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors can learn more about the garden and other offerings at Planting Fields Foundation.