Introduction

Planting design can, and should, determine space and form in the landscape, in both rural and urban places, and at scales great and small. A living medium is the planting designer’s greatest asset; it is also their biggest challenge. Planting is the one medium that makes landscape design unique among design disciplines and by using its full potential with confidence and innovation, designers in the landscape can develop a distinctive professional profile. Readers interested in the Maori names of New Zealand plants are referred to James Beever’s A Dictionary of Maori Plant Names. Botanical, ecological and horticultural terms are explained as they are introduced into the text and defined in the Glossary. If further information on such necessary jargon is needed, The Penguin Dictionary of Botany, edited by S. Blackmore and E. Tootill and published by Allen Lane, is a comprehensive reference tool.