The Planting Design Handbook

The Planting Design Handbook, 3rd Edition, is a comprehensive handbook integrating an ecological approach with visual and spatial composition. First published in 1992, the text serves as a core guide for students and professionals across landscape architecture and garden design.

The volume examines the structure of vegetation layers and designed plant communities across public, institutional, and private landscapes. It explains how to work with the spatial characteristics and visual properties of plants alongside critical ecological and horticultural considerations.

Organized around design principles, process, and practice, this 2016 edition adds coverage of wildflower meadows and naturalistic perennial schemes, supported by professional design drawings.