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The Book of Landscape Design

Henry Stuart Ortloff and Henry Bond Raymore established a landscape architectural firm in 1924, when both men were in their late 20s.  They lived and worked for over 40 years at Apple Green, a late 18th century house in Huntington, New York on Long Island that was their combination home and office.  According to Steve Whitesell, a landscape architect who completed a master thesis about the partnership, they “wrote frequently and eloquently on the development of the small residential garden.”

Their writing included numerous books and articles, and they were frequent speakers to garden clubs and plant societies.  “The Book of Landscape Design,” published in 1959, summarizes many of their mature ideas about designing both a beautiful home garden and an inviting, public landscape.

It is still well worth reading, both for gaining an understanding of complex design concepts, and as a reminder of the importance of good horticultural practices.  “If the principles of plant ecology are applied to the home landscape, many disappointments will be avoided and a much more permanent and harmonious grouping together of plants will be achieved.”

Whitesell indicates their partnership “was personal, as well as professional,” concluding that “both men were discreet about this aspect of their lives, but they cohabitated openly and their partnership was apparently acknowledged and accepted by neighbors, clients, editors, and associates.”

A search of the archives of “The Long-Islander”, a weekly newspaper published in Huntington, New York, finds frequent references to both.  In the summer of 1949, they traveled to the UK and France, and Raymore sent biweekly journal reports of their travels to the newspaper, including commentaries on the dreadful food in post-war Britain and the pleasures of punting on the River Cherwell at Oxford.

 

Excerpted from Brian Thompson’s article in the Fall 2022 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin