In this article, I will review 6 essential books for landscape design. Each book listed below can serve as a valuable resource for developing the skills needed to become a better architect or landscape designer. the books listed are my personal favorites and have helped me on my ongoing journey to become a better designer. I have also included several honorable mentions in each category that the reader may also find helpful.
When someone first becomes interested in landscape architecture, it’s easy to get lost in the plethora of books, videos, and software available in the industry. eventually, the question will no doubt arise, “what book would help me become a better designer?”
You are reading: Best books on landscape design
Although this is a very basic question, it is very difficult to answer: most people have their personal favorites or ones that were previously recommended to them when they started. but the real difficulty is not in personal choice, but in the extensive nature of our industry.
To first answer the question of which book would help someone become a better landscape architect, you must first answer the question, “what characteristics make a good designer in the first place?”
I believe that a good architect or landscape designer should have these important characteristics: (1) ability to build functional and well-designed spaces, (2) ability in conceptual design and spatial reasoning (3) possess extensive knowledge of horticultural and environmental systems, (4) retain the technical skills to represent designs through traditional or digital media, ( 5) understanding of the relationship between human beings and their environment, (6) considering the cultural and socioeconomic influences that exist within and between landscapes.
I hope the books listed below will serve as a valuable future reference list for those interested in the design profession. I think each one of them is essential to becoming a better landscaper.
category 1: professional resource (ability to build functional and well-designed spaces)
best choice: time-saving standards for landscape architecture, charles harris & Nicholas Dinner
the time saver standards is a benchmark within the profession for providing excellent content on a wide variety of topics, including site planning, construction documentation, material detailing and more. it is a reference that I often look for repeatedly. most already within the profession probably own this book.
The book is structured around key elements within the field of design for almost any site condition or design feature imaginable. It has relevance for both large-scale environmental planning purposes and small residential construction projects. click this link to see current online availability.
pros: the content is well detailed, clearly organized and can be easily adapted to meet the individual needs of a designer.
Cons: The biggest disadvantage is its potential shelf life. As building techniques evolve and construction practices change, it will be necessary to purchase newer editions to get the most up-to-date information
It should be noted that there are also additional books that offer similar content for the new or experienced landscape architect. the three honorable mentions below are extremely valuable in understanding the breadth and complexity of our profession.
honorable mentions
architectural landscape graphic standards by leonard hopper
portable handbook of landscape architecture by nicholas t. dinner
building the landscape by astrid zimmermann
category 2: design resource (have competence in conceptual design and spatial reasoning)
best choice: architecture: form, space and order by francis ching
I’m sure many would be surprised to see an architecture book as the top recommendation in a landscape design article, but I think this is more than appropriate. I often tell my students that design is the integration of an aesthetic taste within a functional purpose, no matter what material or design industry you are practicing.
the book contains a lot of excellent studies on how to establish, organize and synthesize forms. uses images throughout the text in a consistent and understandable way. I especially liked the chapters on scale and proportion, as I found this to be a weak area for many landscape architects. Click this link to see the current availability of this book.
Pros: Ching’s work stands apart from similar titles within related design industries. his in-depth research of form building is unrivaled.
Cons: The biggest and most obvious negative would have to be applicability. it is undoubtedly an architecture textbook, not a landscaping one. you will have to make your own correlations between the information and the landscape field.
In recent years, several valuable books on landscape architecture and design have been published. I’ve noticed that I often refer to the cabin’s “fundamentals of landscape architecture” in my design class because of its helpful diagrams and simple explanations.
Both works are worth a look if conceptual design and form creation are of interest to you as a designer.
honorable mentions
norman booth landscape architecture fundamentals
form and fabric in landscape architecture by catherine dee
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design thinking by peter rowe
category 3: horticultural resources (possess extensive knowledge of horticultural and environmental systems)
first choice: michael dirr’s handbook of woody landscape plants
Often referred to simply as the “dirr handbook”, this book is the essential tome of ornamental horticulture and should be a required reference for any designer specifying plant material. Although the text has been repurposed several times into new digital or easy-to-use guides, the original thousand-page textbook from stipes publishing remains a classic.
dirr provides information to help designers identify common woody plant material, but also provides important content on cultural requirements, propagation strategies, and of course aesthetic characteristics. he also reviews notable cultivars and provides anecdotes about his own experiences with each plant. click this link for online availability.
pros: The wealth of valuable ornamental identification features coupled with cultural information is unmatched within the industry. It is an information encyclopedia. I often tell students that if they retain just 10% of the information in it, they will likely never come across a plant they can’t identify.
Cons: The manual is mostly text based and doesn’t provide many images. for a non-professional whose sole purpose is simply to identify woody plant material, a standard field guide would be a better choice.
A similar book listed below in honorable mentions, Stephen Still’s Handbook for Herbaceous Ornamental Plants, is comparable to Dirr’s Handbook in its organization, but focuses only on herbaceous plants. For garden designers, or those seeking a better understanding of tender perennials, it’s worth checking out.
The other honorable mentions listed below are not reference texts, but rather useful for thinking more strategically about the ecological relationships inherent in natural and designed landscapes. both mcharg and Tallamy provide detailed discussions of the complex systems within landscapes and the actions designers can take to remain responsive to them.
honorable mentions
design with nature by ian mcharg
bringing nature home, douglastallamy
handbook of ornamental herbaceous plants by stephen still
rachel carson silent spring
category 4: graphic resource (maintain the technical skills to represent designs through traditional or digital means)
first option: landscape graphics by grant reid
To use a horticultural analogy, if this website and associated videos are a tree, reid’s landscape graphics are its roots. reid sets an ambitious goal to create a practical reference for drawing landscapes by hand. start with the basics (lettering, hand position, gear) and progress to more complex drawing styles (section and perspective).
I also find this book extremely useful due to its applicability to both small and large scale designs. I have referenced this book for landscape architects working on urban park development, as well as residential garden designers, and both have found value in its content. click this link for online availability.
pros: the book is well organized and fits easily into all landscape design applications.
cons: The obvious negative of this text is the reliance on traditional drawing methods to represent landscapes. With the prolific use of computer design programs in both landscape architecture and garden design, the book is (sadly) losing some of its relevance.
honorable mentions
design drawing by francis ching
drawing the landscape by chip sullivan
digital drawing for landscape architecture by bradley cantrell
category 5: behavioral resource (understanding the relationship and interactions between humans and their environment)
best choice: the social life of small urban spaces by william h. why
It is always important to build safe and sustainable landscapes, but the landscape architect must also take into account the factors that influence a person’s relationship with space and with others. this idea is often referred to with the term “place making”: creating living spaces for the proper behavior of people.
william h. Whyte and his team of social scientists provide a fabulous overview of the elemental factors that affect how people use outdoor spaces. In the text, he described his findings from conducting behavioral analysis within numerous public spaces in Manhattan.
In the text, whyte looks at individual and group interactions within outdoor built environments. reviews the preferences of people within the space (where they sit, what they do, how long they stay) and synthesizes the information into useful design recommendations for architects and landscape planners. this is done both on an individual and group level. click this link for current online availability.
pros: This is an analytical review of social interactions within the outdoor space taken from real conditions observed over a large time scale. provides good content to consider when designing for a specific clientele. There is also a video attached that introduces the activities and preferences that whyte describes.
Cons: The original study is quite outdated. With the rise of the digital environment and wireless connectivity, the way people communicate and interact with each other has changed dramatically; it is safe to assume that the way we use our environment has also changed.
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For honorable mentions, I referenced three texts that have value when designing for group interaction. When I was completing my undergraduate work, Hall’s “Hidden Dimension” was required reading. his explanations of cultural “proxemics” and its associated impacts on design were revealing.
honorable mentions
hidden dimension by edward t. lounge
thinking about people: designing and managing everyday nature by rachel kaplan
gardens are for the people of thomas church
category 6: cultural resource (engaging with cultural and socio-economic influences that exist within and between landscapes)
Best Choice: The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
If you were to walk into any municipal planner’s office and look at their bookshelf, I guarantee you that among the texts of zoning codes, ordinances and planning documents is the essential text of jane jacobs “death and life of the great American cities.
jacobs was a journalist working for architecture forum magazine when he investigated the unintended consequences of top-down urban revitalization within manhattan neighborhoods. Her findings and her critiques of modern planning were revolutionary and changed the way urban planners perceived neighborhoods.
jacobs emphasized the importance of “social capital,” a term he used to describe the interconnectedness of diverse groups within a small area. Today, many cities celebrate “Jane Jacob Days” in which city planners tour city neighborhoods with residents to discuss their book and its relationship to the fabric of their city.
i also note for the students in my class that jacobs had no formal training in architecture, planning, or landscape design. she didn’t even have a college degree. however, he had a keen sense of place making and its relationship to a community within the built environment. she is an inspiration to all who feel they lack the credentials to make a real impact in our world. click this link for online availability.
pros: jacob’s book is a comprehensive review of what makes a community. pulls back the curtain and exposes the real issues facing neighborhoods and what makes cities thrive.
cons: the text is more appropriate for urban planners than for landscape designers. it’s also just text, which can sometimes be difficult for designers to translate into meaningful decisions for form creation.
The list of honorable mentions for this category is extremely difficult. cultural landscape studies is an enormously complex and detailed subset of landscape architecture and design; it is impossible to mention only a few selected texts. I selected each of the following based on my personal preferences, I find myself constantly looking for them.
honorable mentions
landscapes: selected writings of j.b.
illustrated history of landscape design by elizabeth boults
rem koolhaas delusional new york
additional reading material
The study of landscape design need not be something that is considered solely a professional endeavor. Some of the most popular and widely read books in our society have underlying themes that are directly related to our environment.
I’ve listed some additional books below that didn’t make any of the above lists, but I still find them extremely valuable. They are also much less technical books than those mentioned above and can be enjoyable reading material any time of year.
devil in the white city by erik larson (link)
the flesh of a man by e.b. blank (link)
wild dreams of rebecca solnit (link)
across an inland sea (link)
string too short to be saved by donald hall (link)
If you liked this article, be sure to check out others in the design resources section of our website.
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