Photographer Susan Rademacher Fry presents almost two dozen landscape projects by Wolfgang Oehme and James van Sweden in a coffee-table sized book. The photos are technically excellent and effectively communicate the naturalistic language O&vS use in their projects.

There is much emphasis on using native plants and plants that make sense in the context of the garden.Large grasses figure prominently in many of the designs. And many feature rudbeckias and sedums. The goal seems to be to knit a building seemlessly into its enviroment using appropriate garden elements.

When it's a penthouse terrace, a sculpture or fountain and a single plant may suffice. By the shore it's giant mounds of grass waving in the sea breeze. In a wooded setting by a mountain stream the emphasis is on rocks and water.

A number of sites are presented with sketches of the plans. Explanations, though very brief, are clear and helpful.

At times one can't help but feel that the book is a very large, expensive, illustrated cirriculum vitae for the landscape architects; but it is clearly much more. Their love of their art comes shining through. Don't miss the compendium of of 'favorite plants' at the end of the book.

And remember that fifteen years later one of the principles stated his regret that he'd planted quite so many rudbeckias.

A good example of why you would go to the library or bookstore and see if the book was any good, prior to purchasing. Specifically, author hits a wide range of topics and delves into little. The book lacks summaries and lacks a general direction. Some nice photos, which probably resulted in the excessive price. Save your money.

Good photos but not so pleasure to read it. It covers whole range of landscape architectural topic. It give you the whole picture of this field. If you want to know what't the field about, you may buy it since there are not so many selections for you. However, the text is very dry.

I was surprised to see the two prior comments and suspect that they were not written by anyone in the landscape architecture field. This book has been the classic introductory text since the 1960s. As a text, it does not purport to be a definitive reference but rather to acquaint the student and layperson with the breadth of landscape architecture. It is not at all focused on the surface alone--Simonds has been one of the pioneers of sustainable ecological design, and the book proves it, covering, among other topics, natural water systems, native plants, greenways, and climate. As Simonds states, "The work of the landscape architect...is to help bring people...into harmonious relationship with the living earth--with the 'want to be' of the land." This book points us in the right direction!