The Landscape Makeover Book: How to Bring New Life to An Old Yard [Paperback]

Sara Jane Von Trapp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

The median age of the American home is 30 years. Consequently, many homeowners do not enjoy a perfect yard: the landscape may be overgrown or in need of a facelift. Professional landscaper Sara Jane von Trapp comes to the rescue with an illustrated guide to revamping an old yard without spending a fortune. She covers both overall design possibilities and areas of concern -- entries, walkways, decks, lighting, plantings, and lawns -- with specific instructions, and also helps readers determine when professional help is needed.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Is your garden reminiscent of a classic grande dame in need of some extra TLC? For the yard version of cosmetic surgery, turn to The Landscape Makeover Book, a helpful manual full of step-by-step photos, planning guides, and practical suggestions. Covering projects both big and small, this guide shows you how to add a pool or patio, prune generations-old shrubs for increased health and vigor, and top off that pesky tree that makes your gutters overflow every October. Have an unknown vine taking over the backyard? Useful charts will help you to identify those pesky plants and learn to use their low-maintenance talents to your advantage--or get rid of them entirely. Plenty of glossy photographs add a designer's touch to the down-and-dirty detail in these pages, but in general, those looking specifically for design inspiration will need to look elsewhere. There are only two types of classic garden design mentioned, Colonial and Victorian, but the authors do provide extensive help in priority setting and planning. While it may seem obvious to not reseed the lawn before adding a walkway, haven't we all found ourselves in similar situations with home-improvement projects? The section on reshaping beds is particularly useful, with plenty of attention given to individual plant rejuvenation and precise edge trimming. For those with an empty lot of dirt and grass, you'll need information other than what this book dishes out. But if you're facing an overgrown garden that looks like it really may have been a showstopper at one point, this is the guide that will help you in staging a glorious comeback. --Jill Lightner

From Publishers Weekly

Advocating the sensible and imaginative use of existing landscape elements to "reshape the character" of the yard, gardener von Trapp assesses plants to determine which are "keepers," "movers" or "composters." Priority lists and leading questions help the reader to see his or her yard with a fresh perspective and move easily into the planning phase. Von Trapp then introduces the aerobic exercise--cleaning up a wildwood (cutting trees, removing stumps, dealing with invasive poison ivy), reshaping the land (swales for water drainage) or reshaping beds (widening and curving the foundation beds to accommodate layers of plantings)--necessary for the makeover. The book centers on pruning as the most basic renovation that can yield dramatic change, but there's plenty of specific counsel on "hardscape" treatments such as bleaching a moldy deck, renovating a thinning lawn, refacing a concrete stoop with bluestone, refashioning narrow walkways, adding a pool and finishing the new look with lighting. This inviting, comprehensive guide will embolden new owners of old homes. 185 color photos. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156158259X
• ISBN-13: 978-1561582594
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #843,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sadly Disappointed, April 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Landscape Makeover Book: How to Bring New Life to An Old Yard (Paperback)

The book's write up sounds exactly what I was looking for, ideas on updating existing landscapes. Needless to say I was disappointed. There was nothing new that a gardener would not have already have read in Southern Living or Country Home Gardens magazines. Its fine for a glance at Barnes and Noble with a cup of coffee, but don't waste your money taking it home.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Inspiration, But Not Much How-To Detail, March 17, 2002

By 

Al the Pal "Al the Pal" (The Fruited Plain, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Landscape Makeover Book: How to Bring New Life to An Old Yard (Paperback)

I would say this is a worthwhile book if you are looking for pictures of made-over yards and decks. There are very few "before" pictures and not a lot of detail on how to achieve the results. The process is explained, from planning on paper to renovating walks, concrete stoops, garden beds and plantings.

Examples of various projects are shown in photographs and described in some detail. Pruning and moving shrubs and trees are shown. There is not a lot of specific information about plants. There is a very brief discussion of water features.

This book is a good place to start the process, but unless you already have construction and horticultural skills, you will need additional information to actually complete a project.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars for the first time do it yourselfer in the garden, July 22, 2001

By 

Nina Immers "[e-mail]" (Genoa, Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Landscape Makeover Book: How to Bring New Life to An Old Yard (Paperback)

This book will serve well for the FIRST TIME DO-IT-YOURSELFER to take on a major remodeling job in the garden.

It goes over everething from the planning to the finishing touches. Tools required are discussed in simple easy to understand language and photographs are also included!

Problems are also discussed- with photographs to help you understand. A good book to have if you are planning to revamp your lanscape!