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Landscape Design

Book recommendations for beginners

16 years ago

Hi all,

I was hoping that I could get some good book recommendations on landscape design for newbies. I have some fairly ambitious projects for the next year and would like to do it basically right the first time plus it would be a "reason" to buy more books ;) Thanks and have a great day!

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Comments (6)

view_west
16 years ago
Here is a recent thread:

some good books for design ideas...

have fun!
VW
karinl
16 years ago
Books on design are one thing, but you should also consider "how to" books for individual projects such as laying stone patios and such.

Also, other than getting a list of books, I think one also needs a way to evaluate books you might come across at a bookstore, as one does sometimes go in to browse without one's list of recommendations in hand. At least, I always seem to find myself in a bookstore without it.

Things I would look for include
- some photos or examples that speak directly to issues that you are facing
- discussion of seasons other than summer
- varying levels of complexity in the options presented.

Others may be able to speak to this better.

KarinL
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My two recommendations would be Ortho's "Complete Guide to Orchids" and the "Orchids for Dummies" book. I like the Complete Guide to Orchids more than All about Orchids because the former has more information on various genera. Still either of the Ortho books are good introductions to orchid growing. Good luck and enjoy!
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When you are looking for books keep in the back of your mind that often times books will make you think the plants/shrubs and trees are native when they are not. Often times they are listed for hardiness zones. For instance, one of the books I have is called "Trees and shrubs of Central Ontario". This book contains every tree and shrub that "will grow" in central Ontario, not trees and shrubs "native" to Central Ontario. If you do some homework and find out what is native to your region and local area it will help you immensely to figure out what is "native" rather than what grows well in your area. Have fun. My husband and I are restoring our woodlot backyard and enjoying looking for plants, shrubs, ferns, trees and mosses that are native to our specific city. Barb
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This question comes up a lot! The two most commonly suggested books are Ortho's All about Orchids and the Sunset publisher's book on Orchids. Several forum members, including me, are also quite fond of Orchids Simplified by Henry Jaworski. FLAME 747 suggested "An Introduction to Orchids" published by the South Florida Orchid Society. Other excellent sources include: Taylor's "All About Orchids" (great pictures); Rebecca Northen's "Home Orchid Growing" Orchid Growing Basics (Schoser) Gardener's Guide to Growing Orchids (Ritterhausen) Orchid Growing for Wimps (Zachos) Jack Kramer's "Orchid Growing Indoors" In addition, Mary Noble has several good books for beginners: You can Grow Orchids, You Can Grow Cattleya Orchids, and You Can Grow Phalaenopsis Orchids." All are excellent for the beginner. If you want to know more about species, then The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids, edited by Alec Pridgeon is also a good source. For a more detailed listing, and a suggested reading list for more experienced growers (intermediate level and advanced), check out Linda's Orchid Page at She has many good suggestions.
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Saypoint zone 6 CT
16 years ago
The Book of Garden Design by John Brookes has a lot of information you won't find in most design books intended for the homeowner. It may be out of print, but you can buy used copies online. Some of the plants he describes are only hardy to zone 7, as he is gardening in the UK, but there are also many that will do well in colder zones. His explanations of using a pattern or grid for layout, mass and scale, layering, and relating a design to the house are very useful. It doesn't tell you how to make compost or build anything, but there are a million books that cover those topics.

There are many others that you can use for inspiration rather than an explanation of how to put a design together.
Buying used books is a good way to put together a library without spending so much that you feel bad about the occasional dud.
view_west
16 years ago
With shelf space at a premium, I first check books out of the library then only buy the ones I will want to refer to again.

Here is a good source for used books:
Abe Books - a collection of used booksellers.

Also, there is much good info on the web. I just learned of the Renegade Gardener on this forum (thanks deeje). He has a few articles on design, and his "Don't DO That Archive" is fun reading.

-VW
nippersdad
16 years ago
Anything by Monte Don or John Brookes is definitely worthwhile. IMO A good all around book to look at would be "The English Gardening School," But hands down my favorite book this year for inspiration would be "Timeless Landscape Design" by Mary and Hugh Dargan.
lara71
Original Author
16 years ago
I'll definitely check those out. Thanks so much!

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