Plant collectors' perceptions of landscape architects' plant knowledge and its effects on the securing of projects

The hypothesis of this thesis is that the awareness of landscape architecture among plant collectors and their perception of the landscape architects' plant materials knowledge affect landscape architects' opportunities to secure projects. Plant collectors are interviewed because of their role as innovators in plant material use. Plant materials are chosen because they are a primary material of the landscape architect. This hypothesis also embraces the idea that landscape architects possess less-than-optimum knowledge about plant materials, thereby undermining their professional credibility.; This research examines the responses of plant collectors to focused interviews about landscape architects' plant material knowledge. Interview results are then analyzed to determine the influence of information sources on plant collectors' awareness of landscape architecture and to search for factors affecting whether or not a plant collector will hire a landscape architect for residential design consultation.