Customer Reviews

Sustainable Landscaping For Dummies

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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
[...]

A much needed timely volume of practical advice for those on both professional and homeowner levels in the landscape development business. -A must have source for tips that we should all be implementing immediately to mitigate the climate crisis on our personal level!

Length:: 3:07 Mins

I was surprised, as a landscape professional, how much I got from this book. While the sustainable tips Dell presents are thorough and helpful, the best part of this book was the depth of hands-on landscaping experience he shared. Since Dell's been a landscape architect and licensed landscape contractor for many years, the sustainable techniques he presents are practical, efficient, and actually work. No fiddly little tips that are a pain in the behind to actually do (a pet peeve of mine)!

I feel strongly that if you're embarking on a landscaping project, the sheer depth of professional knowledge and experience Dell shares in this book will almost certainly keep you from making a costly mistake during your landscaping project. And if he even saves you from making one mistake, it's easily paid for the cost of the book.

Professionals: don't discount the book because it's a Dummies title. I've read 20+ books on landscaping every year since I've become a landscaper (15 years now!) and this is among the best for having useful, practical, hands-on information that you can take into the field and use to do a better job.

I am so pleased that Owen Dell wrote "Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies". It is the kind of landscaping book I have been in search of for 30 years! "Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies" gets right to the point about what a landscape should be (and not be). Owen Dell communicates these critically important principles without being overly philosophical, preachy or judgmental. It all just makes sense. And, he doesn't sugarcoat anything. He tells it like it is, based on decades of real-life experiences. He obviously knows what he's talking about.

The book is full of practical tips and information and is incredibly timely. It's like a how-to book for landscaping with Permaculture concepts and principles woven in such that it makes it all just seem matter-of-fact common sense; anybody can do it - and should. The out-of-the-norm landscaping practices are not presented as something exotic or trendy. They're presented as things we all can and should do in our suburban (or urban or rural) landscapes. To make his points clear, Owen Dell explains both what to do and what not to do and why. And, he includes nice little illustrations to reinforce his points.

As someone who has taught sustainable landscaping for the past two decades, I find this book to be the perfect companion to my classes. Owen says the things I try to teach so much better than I, and he does it all in an entertaining and fun way. Although written from the perspective of water-thirsty Southern California, the principles and concepts apply everywhere. I only wish it had been written sooner. Thank you for writing this book.

It covers the basics quite well but tries to oversell some aspects. For example not using concrete etc and trying too hard to save transportation energy.

The author could have gotten his message across in 5 pages rather than 350 - speaking of environmentalism, that would have saved some trees...

I think the book is a little long-winded where simple explanations would do. Some things were not related to sustainability (like how to make a retaining wall) but just general landscaping.