author
Richard C. Tongg
b. 1899
A pioneering Hawaii landscape architect and garden writer, he helped shape the look of tropical gardens for modern readers. His books on Hawaiian flowers and tropical design brought practical plant knowledge together with a strong sense of place.
1 Audiobook
Hawaiian Flowers
by Loraine E. Kuck, Richard C. Tongg
About the author
Born in Hawai‘i in 1899, Richard C. Tongg became an important early figure in landscape architecture in the islands. The American Society of Landscape Architects has described him as Hawai‘i’s “grandfather of landscape architecture,” and architectural sources credit him with work on major Honolulu sites including the Alexander & Baldwin Building.
Tongg is also remembered as a writer who helped introduce readers to tropical planting in a clear, useful way. With Loraine E. Kuck, he coauthored books including The Modern Tropical Garden and Hawaiian Flowers, works that connected garden design with the plants, climate, and visual character of Hawai‘i.
He died in 1988, but his influence still shows in the way tropical gardens are pictured and planned. For audiobook listeners, his work offers both a window into Hawaiian plant life and a practical, lasting vision of what a tropical garden can be.