The Complete Plant Selection Guide for Landscape Design [Hardcover]

Marc C Stoecklein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001

This book was written and organized to assist the landscape architect, landscape designer, or homeowner in the selection of the proper plants to be used in a landscape design. It is intended to be a quick and easy-to-use reference to help in choosing plant species and varieties. After completing a design analysis, the designer can evaluate all of the critical site requirements and apply that information to the plant selection process.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Should be a required reference hope this book will get the recognition it deserves, it sure is a winner! -- Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Susan Banks/Garden Editor August 2001

This is the guide that will never leave the designer's office...it is a real reference text for professionals. -- Estream, NCSU Libraries Fellow, NCSU Library, January 2002

From the Publisher

In this book the author has created a quick and easy to use reference guide for choosing plant material for landscape designs. This reference manual includes comprehensive lists of search criteria with specific categories for each of the major plant groups including trees, shrubs, groundcovers, perennials vines, grasses, and ferns. These plant groups contain hundreds of specific species, varieties and cultivars that are readily available in the marketplace from the major production nurseries, Landscape architects, designers, contractors, or anyone who designs with plants can easily choose plants that will work on their site. The book is technical enough for the professional, yet simple enough to be used by the layperson. Both botanical and common names are used and an extensive amount of cultural and environmental information is presented for plants in zones 3-6.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 747 pages
• Publisher: Purdue University Press (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557531390
• ISBN-13: 978-1557531391
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,747,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Landscaping Made Simple with New Guide, November 25, 2001

By 

Susan Banks/Garden Editor/Pittsburgh Post Gazette (Pittsburgh PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Plant Selection Guide for Landscape Design (Hardcover)

A large text with no photographs, it sure wasn't something to inspire heart palpitations. But appearances can be deceiving. While most of those showier books will soon be relegated to the reject pile, this reference will not leave my keeping. What Stoecklein has done here is provide gardeners and garden professionals alike with lists of plant choices that will make designing landscapes easier and more foolproof than ever before. The beauty of this book is that anyone can use it. You don't need a Ph.D. to figure out what plants will work for you in a specific area. Have a wet area? Look up the list of trees, shrubs, etc., that thrive there. Need a tree that can take full sun or one that can tolerate urban conditions? Look it up. If you are an avid gardener, you should add this to your library. It should be required reference material in any landscape architecture or design course. Nurseries and garden centers also should have a copy of this valuable reference available for staff and customers alike, if only because it might prompt some of us to think outside the box. I hope this book will get the recognition it deserves, because it sure is a winner.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Q. Who needs another landscape book?, October 12, 2003

By 

Lew Lineman (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Plant Selection Guide for Landscape Design (Hardcover)

A. YOU do. If you are employed in the green industry, or just a serious ornamental gardener residing in zones 3-6, you will find this book a very valuable addition to your reference library. Stoecklein's no-nonsense approach to plant selection takes the guesswork out of landscape possibilities. The book quickly broadens and narrows the available palette of useful materials for landscape designs. Marc allows his prejudices to shine in a pros and cons section for each plant group. These pointed comments reflect his experience and passion as a master plantsman and offer much to the novice and veteran alike. Get this book if you are serious about your landscape planning.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Complete Plant Selection Guide for Landscape Design, July 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Plant Selection Guide for Landscape Design (Hardcover)

What a great new book. This Plant Selection Guide is a great resource for us! It is simple and to the point. Although it is a book of lists, that is exactly what one needs, when you want to simply figure out which plants one could choose from when planning a design. Making plant selections by assessing the site is, as the author suggests, a great way to make plant choices. Once I figure out my plant choices, the designing is easy. The book also brought many new plant varieties to my attention, that I may not have considered using. I can tell the author knows about the plants, there are some good practical comments in a section called Pros & Cons. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there is a card in the book that can be sent in to the publisher for a CD Rom version of the book, which I guess will be available in the future. That should be great for us computerized folks. I will be looking forward to receiving that! This book really covers all of the plant groups, it's amazing.