The Native Landscape Reader (Critical Perspectives in the History of Environmental Design)

In this volume Robert E. Grese gathers together writings on nature-based landscape design and conservation by some of the country's most significant practitioners, horticulturists, botanists, and conservationists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Written with a strong conservation ethic, these essays often originally appeared in obscure, short-lived publications and are difficult to locate today, comprising a rich but hidden literature.

Over many years of pioneering research into the work of Jens Jensen, O. C. Simonds, and other early landscape architects who advocated for the use of native plants and conservation, Grese encountered and began collecting these pieces. With this volume, he offers readers his trove. Purposely avoiding literature that is widely available, Grese shares as well his experience of discovery. His introduction provides perspective on the context of these writings and the principles they espouse, and his conclusion illuminates their relevance today with the emerging emphasis on sustainable design. This collection will appeal to general readers interested in the issues of sustainability, horticulture and gardening, and landscape design and preservation, as well as to historians, practitioners, and specialists.

“The relevance of these writings to the current issues of biodiversity, native plants, and sustainability cannot be overemphasized. . . . This extensive collection is a valuable addition to landscape scholarship and practice.”

—Robert L. Ryan, coauthor of With People in Mind: Design and Management of Everyday Nature

ROBERT E. GRESE is Theodore Roosevelt Chair of Ecosystem Management, School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, where he serves as director of the Matthei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, and author of Jens Jensen: Maker of Natural Parks and Gardens. Grese is particularly interested in the restoration and management of urban wilds and the role such lands can play in connecting children and families with nature. He was featured as the LALH Preservation Hero in the 2010 issue of VIEW.