9 Must Have Best Landscape Design & Architecture Books

Best Landscape Design Books
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Reading Time: 8 minutes

 

One of the gratifications of being a homeowner is the opportunity to shape the outside space surrounding your property.

 

The yard of a well-designed home should provide space for children to run around and play, as well as an appealing spot for adults to unwind and take in the splendor of nature in the area.

 

This article introduces you to the best landscape design books for beginners and experienced gardeners that will help design a wonderful outdoor space.

 

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Let’s See Which Is The Right Landscape Design Book For You

1. Encyclopedia of Landscape Design: Planning, Building, and Planting Your Perfect Outdoor Space

Encyclopedia of Landscape Design: Planning, Building, and Planting Your Perfect Outdoor Space

 

Rating 4.7
Author DK
eBook Available Yes
Ideal for This landscape architecture book is perfect for landscape novice

 

Discover all you need to know about gardening, from preparation to sowing. This landscaping reference book has all the data you need to create a beautiful, productive garden.

 

The book focuses on a lot of things like from deciding on building materials and evaluating drainage to installing patios, constructing ponds, and growing plants.

 

This beautiful book includes a visual encyclopedia and information on all the newest gardening trends to help you manage and create the garden of your dreams. It is ideal for inexperienced gardeners and those seeking new ideas.

 

What could’ve been better in this landscape design book?

The typefaces of some phrases and headings appear deformed in the Kindle version, and various images and passages were repeated on top of one another, making it an overbearing read at times.

 

 

2. The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden

The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden

 

You will study methods for developing and caring for a multifaceted landscape that is visually appealing on multiple levels, has designated play areas for kids and pets, includes aromatic and culinary plants, and serves as a haven for local species.

 

This landscape architecture book is a beautifully illustrated guide to creating a landscape that supports human and natural ecosystems. The author has a good design sensibility and a knowledge of thriving ecosystems.

 

Rating 4.7
Author Rick Darke
eBook Available Yes
Ideal for Someone interested in learning more about biodiversity and home gardening.

 

What could’ve been better about this book?

The intensity of the arguments in this book frequently overpowers any consideration of facts or reason.

 

 

3. Edible Landscaping

 

Edible Landscaping

 
This book draws on the author’s many years of expertise to provide a comprehensive guide on designing and establishing a home garden that will provide an abundance of delicious fruits, nuts, herbs, and vegetables.

 

This new release of the original 1982 landscape design book delivers cutting-edge design and how-to details in a gorgeous full-color style with over 300 invigorating pictures.

 

The comprehensive Encyclopedia contains horticulture facts, gourmet purposes, resources, and suggested types; supplements address the fundamentals of planting, upkeep, and treating insects and diseases using organically and ecologically friendly methods.

 

Rating 4.8
Author Rosalind Creasy
eBook Available No
Ideal for For novice home gardeners, this best-selling book on landscape architecture is appropriate.

 

What could’ve been better?

A good book but the structure is a bit off-putting.

 

 

4. Site Engineering for Landscape Architects

Site Engineering for Landscape Architects

 

The latest innovations in landscape architecture have been incorporated into the updated version of these best landscape design books without sacrificing clarity or readability.

 

This version includes newly added and amended case studies and information updated on infrastructure improvements and stormwater drainage.

 

There is also new information on calculating runoff, conserving natural resources, and designing and implementing stormwater management systems in the best landscape architecture books. Visuals are up to date to provide a uniform style and cleanliness across the book.

 

Rating 4.6
Author Steven Strom
eBook Available Yes
Ideal for Students and landscape architects

 

What could’ve been better in the best landscape design books?

 

The book is not available in the kindle version.

 

 

5. The Midcentury Modern Landscape

 

The Midcentury Modern Landscape

 
It is an updated handbook intended for people looking for creative new ways to reinvent their outdoor space. It also for those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the development of mid-century modern styles.

 

This landscape architecture book delves into the roots of modernist landscaping for the home, illuminating how architects and landscapers of the era eliminated barriers between the inside and outdoor environments to create functional outdoor spaces.

 

Rating 4.6
Author Ethne Clarke
eBook Available No
Ideal for Those who want to learn the history of mid-century modern aesthetics

 

What could’ve been better in this landscape design book?

 

The book doesn’t include many landscaping pictures.

 

 

6. Step-by-Step Landscaping (2nd version) (Better Homes and Gardens Gardening)

Step-by-Step Landscaping (2nd version) (Better Homes and Gardens Gardening)

 
With over a hundred detailed, step-by-step tasks and over 700 gorgeous photos, you’ll learn how to do everything from fixing your yard’s grading to planting trees to constructing a deck.

 

And there are 95 images of plants from the new plant encyclopedia with detailed instructions for improving perspective.

 

A range of garden elements, including a patio, border, wall, gate, water garden, barbeque, fireplace, and artwork, are covered in in-depth construction instructions.

 

If you wish to redesign your outdoor area, this comprehensive best landscape design book is your ticket.

 

Each chapter has a detailed breakdown of the expected costs, the time required to finish it, the skill level needed, and the required materials. The book also features countless pictures, ideas, and blueprints to spark your imagination.

 

Rating 4.3
Author Better Home and Gardens
eBook Available No
Ideal for Beginners looking to revamp their backyard

 

What could’ve been better in this one of the best landscape architecture books?

It has a few pages of ideas, but each one is so packed with plants that it’s unrealistic for someone who wants an attractive yard but doesn’t want to spend 40 hours a week maintaining it.

 

 

7. Landscape Graphics: Plan, Section, and Perspective Drawing of Landscape Spaces

Landscape Graphics: Plan, Section, and Perspective Drawing of Landscape Spaces

 

The architect’s go-to resource for mastering the fundamentals of landscape design and architecture’s related graphic design disciplines, this book covers it all. This guide provides comprehensive training beginning with the fundamentals and proceeding to more advanced methods.

 

The subjects addressed in this book include visual language and the development pipeline, modeling fundamentals, letters, free-hand sketching, creative modeling, projection drawing, line elevations, and more.

 

It is a practical resource since, in addition to the well-organized exercises, it includes an appendix with translations and equivalents and a file with visual clues for divisions and viewpoints.

 

Rating 4.6
Author Grant Reid
eBook Available Yes
Ideal for Landscape architecture students

 

What could’ve been better in this landscape architecture book?

The book’s structure is old, and the illustrations are below par.

 

 

8. The Making of the American Landscape

The Making of the American Landscape

 
 

Over the course of more than 500 years, diverse human adaptations of the continent’s natural geography to its requirements have occurred, and this book explores the broad historical reasons behind these changes.

 

It provides an overarching perspective of several historical mechanisms at work or in conflict, exemplified by what has persisted or vanished from our commonplace landscapes.

 

It is the only short, all-inclusive, one of the best books about landscape architecture that covers historical and contemporary influences that have molded the appearance and distribution of human settlements across the United States.

 

New events on religions, society organizations, consumers, and utopian scapes, combined with full-color maps and images, offer exciting perspectives on how the forces of history have refashioned the world’s topography and infused it with significance.

 

Rating 4.6
Author Michael P. Conzen
eBook Available Yes
Ideal for American Geography or American History Students

 

What could improve in these residential landscape design books?

It is a comprehensive book, that is, it covers all different aspects of the course. Therefore it never goes in depth of any topic.

 

 

9. Taylor’s Master Guide to Landscaping

Taylor's Master Guide to Landscaping

 

A beautiful and informative subject that can be daunting to even the most seasoned gardeners. If you want to hire someone to do the landscaping for you or do some of it yourself, you should read this book.

 

You will find out how to: pick plants that will do well in your environment and growing environment; steer clear of typical blunders with essential plantings; prepare and cultivate for future expansion; set up an outdoor space; design and construct walkways, stairways, and ramps; and establish private spaces with barriers, gates, and hedging.

 

It is one of the best books about landscape architecture by Buchanan and can help you avoid a lot of heartache and expense by providing a realistic picture of what to anticipate from landscaping and gardening specialists.

 

The recurrent landscape elements of trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, groundcovers, and perennials are all covered in their chapter.

 

If you serious about becoming a full-time landscape designer, this step-by-step guide on how to become a landscape designer will help you.

 

Rating 4.2
Author Rita Buchanan
eBook Available No
Ideal for Homemakers looking to start gardening

 

What could’ve been better in these residential landscape design books?

This book is not ideal if you want to learn more about patio pavers and layouts.

 

 

How Did We Choose These Books?

Research guided our decision-making when compiling this collection of the best books about landscape architecture. When selecting the books, we made our decision by taking into account the following considerations:

  1. Book rating
  2. Knowledge of the author about the subject
  3. Author’s experience
  4. The credibility of the publication house
  5. Value for money

 
Final Word

We hope that our list of top landscape architecture books impressed you. Encyclopedia of Landscape Design is the book we swear by. It justifies its title being the bible of landscape design.

 

Both experienced gardeners and those who have never planted a seed from scratch may find value in this book.

 

Happy landscaping!

 

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