Planting Design

"Plants have been a part of our earth for a very long time and are a source of oxygen, food, fuel and building materials for the benefit of humanity. Besides these functional uses they also add much to the aesthetic appearance of our natural environment..." Theodore D. Walker wrote, "Anyone who designs a landscape using plants applies some basic principles of design, which are common to all design professions, including architecture, interior design and other arts..." "Planting Design" covers design principles (line, form, texture, color, variety, repetition, balance, emphasis, perception, plant masses, scale), functional uses of plants (visual control, physical barriers, climate control, noise control, erosion control), aesthetic values (the inherent beauty of plants expressed by their leaves, bark, branching, reflections and shadows), process of planting design (site analysis, plat hardiness zones, plant selection, plant characteristics, spacing, using flowers, design process, typical design projects and plant use, references for selecting plants), preparing planting plans (principles and techniques, cost estimating, graphic symbols, sample plans, plant lists and details), and preparing specifications (using a word processor, sample specifications from a private office and a state agency). "Planting Design" has 196 pages and many fine black-and-white interior photos. It also has a lot of great samples of planting plans and landscape sections done by professional firms and sample landscape specifications at the end. It is a classic on the difficult subject of Planting Design. Gang Chen, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Author of "Planting Design Illustrated," "LEED GA Exam Guide," "Architectural Practice Simplified," and other books on various LEED exams, architecture, and landscape architecture