Sustainable Landscaping For Dummies

ISBN-13: 9780470411490 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 388 str.

Owen Dell

Opis

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.

Spis treści

Introduction.

Part I: Sustainable Landscaping: The Basics.

Chapter 1: Landscaping the Sustainable Way.

Chapter 2: Making Good Decisions about What to Include in Your Landscape.

Chapter 3: Deciding Whether to Do It Yourself or Call in the Pros.

Part II: Good Design: The Key to Sustainable Landscaping.

Chapter 4: Getting Better Acquainted with Your Property.

Chapter 5: Brushing Up on Design Basics.

Chapter 6: Plotting Your Sustainable Landscape.

Part III: Water, Water, Everywhere: Water–Conserving Irrigation and Drainage.

Chapter 7: Surveying Your Watering Options.

Chapter 8: The Nuts and Bolts of Water Harvesting, Irrigation, and Drainage.

Chapter 9: Managing Water: The Other Half of the Irrigation Equation.

Chapter 10: Maintaining Water–Harvesting and Irrigation Systems.

Part IV: Hardscaping Made Easy: Creating Awesome Features without Wrecking the Environment.

Chapter 11: Preparing Your Site.

Chapter 12: Exploring Basic Hardscape Elements and Outdoor Rooms.

Chapter 13: Spicing Up Your Hardscape with Other Fun and Functional Elements.

Chapter 14: Sustainable Hardscape Construction.

Chapter 15: Hardscape Maintenance.

Part V: Great Greenery for a Green Garden.

Chapter 16: Planting the Seed: Sustainable Plant Basics.

Chapter 17: Introducing Benefi cial Trees and Shrubs to Your Landscape.

Chapter 18: Enhancing Your Landscape s Sustainability with Smaller Plants.

Chapter 19: Exploring Lower Impact Lawns and Sustainable Lawn Alternatives.

Chapter 20: Examining the Essentials of Sustainable Garden Care.

Chapter 21: Pest and Disease Control the Sustainable Way.

Chapter 22: Opting for Organic Lawn Care.

Part VI: The Par t of Tens.

Chapter 23: Ten Projects That Pay You and the Environment Back Big Time.

Chapter 24: Ten Totally Nonsustainable Landscaping Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.

Appendix: Planning for Special Situations.

Index.

O autorze

Owen E. Dell is the owner of County Landscape and Design in Santa Barbara, California. He has nearly 40 years of experience designing and building beautiful, sustainable, and soul–satisfying residential and commercial landscapes.

Blurb

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