Sustainable Landscaping For Dummies

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.

• Introduction 1Part I: Sustainable Landscaping: The Basics 7Chapter 1: Landscaping the Sustainable Way 9Chapter 2: Making Good Decisions about What to Include in Your Landscape 23Chapter 3: Deciding Whether to Do It Yourself or Call in the Pros 39Part II: Good Design: The Key to Sustainable Landscaping 51Chapter 4: Getting Better Acquainted with Your Property 53Chapter 5: Brushing Up on Design Basics 69Chapter 6: Plotting Your Sustainable Landscape 83Part III: Water, Water, Everywhere: Water-Conserving Irrigation and Drainage 103Chapter 7: Surveying Your Watering Options 105Chapter 8: The Nuts and Bolts of Water Harvesting, Irrigation, and Drainage 121Chapter 9: Managing Water: The Other Half of the Irrigation Equation 145Chapter 10: Maintaining Water-Harvesting and Irrigation Systems 155Part IV: Hardscaping Made Easy: Creating Awesome Features without Wrecking the Environment 163Chapter 11: Preparing Your Site 165Chapter 12: Exploring Basic Hardscape Elements and Outdoor Rooms 173Chapter 13: Spicing Up Your Hardscape with Other Fun and Functional Elements 193Chapter 14: Sustainable Hardscape Construction 205Chapter 15: Hardscape Maintenance 223Part V: Great Greenery for a Green Garden 231Chapter 16: Planting the Seed: Sustainable Plant Basics 233Chapter 17: Introducing Beneficial Trees and Shrubs to Your Landscape 257Chapter 18: Enhancing Your Landscape’s Sustainability with Smaller Plants 269Chapter 19: Exploring Lower Impact Lawns and Sustainable Lawn Alternatives 289Chapter 20: Examining the Essentials of Sustainable Garden Care 299Chapter 21: Pest and Disease Control the Sustainable Way 313Chapter 22: Opting for Organic Lawn Care 321Part VI: The Part of Tens 333Chapter 23: Ten Projects That Pay You and the Environment Back Big Time 335Chapter 24: Ten Totally Nonsustainable Landscaping Mistakes and How to Avoid Them 339Appendix: Planning for Special Situations 345Index 351