4 Ecological Landscaping Books that Inspire Our Work

As the (paraphrased) saying goes, great teachers inspire. 

At Our Land Organics, we’re inspired by many teachers through certifications, course work and other trainings, conferences, and so on. 

Combined, our team has multiple decades of experience in natural landscaping, sustainable landscape design, organic landscape maintenance, environmental restoration, permaculture, and more – and we’re committed to ongoing learning. 

Another great source of inspiration for us is books. 

Some of the world’s best thinkers on native landscaping and ecological restoration have shared their wisdom in writing. We’re grateful for these resources and happy to share them with our community.

Whether you’re looking to grow your ecological landscaping knowledge or you need a gift idea for the plant lover in your family, here are some of the books that have helped inspire our ecological design philosophy. 

Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy 

This inspiring call to action invites homeowners of all stripes to play a part in environmental conservation. Drawing on decades of research, Tallamy asserts that the choices we make in our yards can yield positive change for our ecosystems.

When homeowners add native plants to their landscapes, they create vital habitat. As more people build habitat, these patches of land stitch together to build “corridors” that give pollinators and other wildlife a greater chance of survival. This is one of the reasons we’re such passionate advocates for incorporating native plants into home landscapes. 

Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change by Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher 

Two prominent voices in the ecological landscaping space come together in this seminal book, which helped launch native landscaping into the mainstream. Weaner and Christopher argue that conventional landscaping practices are resource-intensive, time-consuming, and ecologically invaluable.

They suggest an alternative in the form of native landscaping, which creates vibrant landscapes while supporting wildlife and reducing maintenance costs. This thinking undergirds our approach to organic landscape maintenance. 

The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden by Rick Darke and Doug Tallamy. 

Many homeowners have multiple goals for their outdoor spaces, whether beauty, functional space, privacy screens, edible gardens, pollinator habitat, or all of the above. Darke and Tallamy show that it’s possible to meet multiple “layered” landscaping goals simultaneously via ecological landscaping. 

Homeowners can “have it all”: a landscape that is aesthetically pleasing, functional and enjoyable, and ecologically valuable. We take this belief to heart, and we see it come true every day. Every landscape we design meets multiple goals simultaneously and sustainably. 

Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes by Claudia West and Thomas Rainer.

One of the most influential books in the world of ecological landscaping, Planting in a Post-Wild World goes a step further than advocating for the use of native plants in designed landscapes. West and Rainer offer guidance for designing landscapes with native plants that would grow together in natural settings, or “plant communities.”

This approach to native landscape design helps cultivate gardens that are as resilient as they are beautiful. Whenever we design landscapes, we do so with the concept of plant communities in mind.

We recommend these books to anyone who’s dipping a toe into the world of native landscaping or who wants to dig deeper into this exciting field. If you’re interested in learning more about our approach to native landscape design or organic landscape maintenance, contact us any time. We are always happy to hear from you!