Published by Birkhäuser Verlag and written by Ron Henderson, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, Illinois, USA, and founding principal of LIRIO Landscape Architecture, the book ‘30 Trees and why Landscape Architects love them‘ presents the favorite trees of 30 internationally renowned landscape architects. In each case, the designers describe the characteristics that represent the essence of the selected tree, the designed landscapes they associate with it, and how it was used in completed projects.

These personal insights are complemented by five scholarly essays on criteria such as typology, ecology, maintenance, and seasons that are critical in matching trees to landscapes. Additionally, the book includes a botanical description of each species mentioned.

In the foreword of Gary Hilderbrand, Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Harvard, he notices that ‘the praise for the labor and the beauty of trees comes in this book in multiple ways: how to regard and imbibe the sensory and spatial qualities of plants; how to benefit from planting in great numbers; and what it means to a collection of people to cultivate a devotion to specific species‘.

The result is a compendium of insights into tree species and the use of trees in landscape architecture. From Cercidphyllum japonicum in Japan, to Handroanthus serratifolius in Venezuela, Plinia cauliflora in Brazil or Bursera simaruba in Mexico, the book will be of interest to professionals and amateurs alike.