Baton Rouge, LA: LSU Press (2014)

Since its genesis in 1980, Crosby Arboretum in southern Mississippi has attracted international recognition for its contributions to architecture, biology, and landscape design. Now owned and operated by Mississippi State University, Crosby is the first fully realized ecologically designed arboretum in the United States and the premier native plant conservatory in the Southeast.

Former site director and curator Robert F. Brzuszek provides a detailed survey of the arboretums origins, planning, construction, and ongoing management, including the award-winning Pinecote Pavilion; a 104-acre focus area that includes the Piney Woods Lake; and 700 additional acres of savanna, woodland, and aquatic environments that nurture more than 300 species of indigenous trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses. More than just a botanical center, Crosby is one of the first American landscape projects to successfully balance natural habitat and planned design.