Sustainable Landscaping For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden)) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Sustainable Landscaping For Dummies provides hands-on, how-to instruction for realizing the benefits of a sustainable landscape, from selecting sutainable hardscape materials to installing a rain-water catchment system to choosing native plants.

From the Back Cover

Create a beautiful, sustainable landscape that's easy on your pocketbook

Want to go green outside your home? This practical, hands-on guide shows you how to design, create, and live with sustainable lawn and garden spaces. You'll see how to eliminate the use of chemicals, reduce energy use, and conserve natural resources, all while you craft an attractive and functional outdoor environment that increases the value and improves the appearance of your home.

• Get sustainable savvy — understand what it means, why it matters, and what materials and resources to use

• Work with water — evaluate and maintain irrigation systems, explore water harvesting, and manage watering for maximum conservation

• Make the most of hardscaping — from patios and walls to fences, steps, and lighting systems, construct and maintain sustainable elements

• Add the true green stuff — select, establish, and care for gorgeous climate-appropriate plants that need few resources

Open the book and find:

• The essentials of sustainable garden care

• Ways to minimize your lawn's impact and keep it healthy

• A step-by-step tutorial on designing a great landscape plan

• How to grade, plant, and irrigate the sustainable way

• Tips for fitting food into your landscape

• Cheap (or free) planet-friendly projects

• Nonsustainable gardening mistakes to avoid

• When and why to call in the pros

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (February 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047041149X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470411490
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #309,345 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zany, wacky, chock fulla' good stuff!, February 25, 2009

By	Billy Goodnick "Cultural omnivore" (Santa Barbara, CA) - See all my reviews

I completely understand why the subject of sustainable landscaping isn't splashed over the media. Unlike Madonna's marital status or how much Paris Hilton's new dog cost, it's not something the general populace craves. No one is braving water cannons to protest people who wash down driveways. And who's losing sleep over the out-of-control non-native plants that gradually displacing native vegetation in the wild?

Well, if there's one person who ignites people's passions about sustainable landscaping, it's Owen Dell. [Required Disclosure - Owen and I are buddies and co-hosts of a sustainable landscaping TV show. We've also spent countless Wednesday nights in our "Billy and Owen Take Over The World" sessions, plotting how to proselytize the masses and convince them to come into the light of sustainable landscaping. So, I might be a bit prejudiced in this review. But he's a mensch and really does deserve the mounds of praise I'm about to bury him in.]

I think Owen's book is very important. It needs to be read, embraced and acted upon by many, many people. Is there any better way to reach the knowledge-hungry masses than with one of those books with the black and yellow cover, and the iconic image of a strange guy with a buzz cut and triangular head? I'm talking about "Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies."

What I've always liked about Dummies books is that they're written by and for really smart people (or those who are about to be much smarter for having read the book). Their authors anticipate what a reader needs to know and gives it to them in a delightful package with all the fat trimmed off. That's just what Owen did in this book.

The blurb at the publisher's website (Wiley Publishing, Inc) briefly describes the content as a "hands-on, how-to instruction for realizing the benefits of a sustainable landscape, from selecting sustainable hardscape materials to installing a rain-water catchment system to choosing native plants." I'm not sure this rather flat description alone will get people on their feet and into the street, so let me expand just a tad.

The book starts by making sure we know how the word "sustainable" fits with landscaping. It's patently simple, Owen tells us--strive for a garden that acts as a natural system, needing little help from you once it's up and running. By the time you're done with this section of the book you'll smack your forehead and mutter "of course" because he makes it seem so obvious.

Onward the author forges, praising the virtues of good design, working safely, and throwing in some tricks the pros use. There's a strong emphasis on managing water, the most precious resource for me, located here in southern California. But climate change is demonstrating that water shortages aren't just about the southwestern states, so all pay heed. Owen also tackles the complex subject of hardscape (all the stuff in a landscape that isn't plants), showing how elegant spaces can be created with earth-friendly materials and by pulling discarded materials from waste stream and put it back to use.

Of course there's lots of information about plants starting with the fundamental idea that plants aren't just for decoration--they can DO something, like provide habitat for birds, reduce energy consumption and feed your family. The greenery section even zooms in on ways to make container gardening more sustainable.

I could go on, but I'm running out of space--just get the book.

Billy Goodnick
Landscape Architect
[...]

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's About Time, March 2, 2009

By	running duck (So Cal, USA) - See all my reviews

Owen Dell is the individual most responsible for the way that I look at landscape, design and my footprint in general. Owen is an amazing speaker, part time tv geek and landscape guru. You can now add entertaing author to the resume. This is a book that will make you look at the art of landscaping in a way that keeps us in tune with dear ol' mom. (Mother Earth that is) In simple easy to understand language, you can be a pro (Or just design like one) in no time. You will learn how to work with nature and our limited resources while having a positive impact on the environment. As with most 'Dummies' books, you can skip around to find areas of interest but I found it hard to put the book down once I started. Written with a true talent to entertain and keep the reader interested, I applaud Mr Dell and his commitment to the future of our natural resources.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical Advice -- Start to Finish, March 29, 2009

By	Good Book Guy - See all my reviews

I recently bought this book in preparation for a number of landscaping projects around the house this spring and summer. I've found the guide to be extremely thorough and helpful. It has shown me how to take small steps that add up to making my yard more sustainable and healthy for the family. Included are a number of ready-to-be-implmented, professional quality landscape plans.