Landscape designing isn’t so much about rules that guarantee creation of the ‘perfect design every time’, but rather about a series of guidelines and suggestions that will help you save time and money, as well as generally reduce the frustrations resulting from many design forms.

Landscape Design for the Home Owner is a book filled with such guidelines, some for the new home owner to help with the many ‘first time garden’ situations and pitfalls that tend to arise, as well as some for the more experienced home owner who is being challenged with alterations, changes in garden styles or themes or simply looking at old sites in a new light.

Combine this with dozens of ideas, plant and hard landscape suggestions, as well as numerous beautiful photographs, it becomes a book that will help the informed, adventurous, beginner or even laid-back home owner to create beautiful and distinctive surroundings to their homes.

Beautifully and simply set out, it takes the home owner through a series of logical yet important steps intended to make garden designing a joy rather than a mystery or frustration – dealing with such aspects as site analysis, plant functions and choices, hard landscape options, thoughts on garden revamping, as well as realistic scenarios for costing a project and pointers on where to find professional assistance if stuck with a problem. Aspects such as water-saving concepts, ways to encourage wild life, and thoughts on environmental or regional approaches to garden design are also included. A list of current invader plants and useful contacts in South Africa are also included for the reader’s convenience.

How do you design a landscape book suitable for its intended uses? How can the natural qualities of a landscape be enhanced with new features and focal points? How can you make pedestrians stay on the footpath? What kind of plant, path or wall should you put where, and what sort of contract should you choose for your client's contractor? This refreshingly down-to-earth introduction to the vast subject of landscape design and construction answers all these questions, guiding new students through the many facets of professional practice and welding together the artistic, legal, financial, environmental and management issues which can seem so dauntingly disconnected. Illustrated with original drawings, photographs, sample plans and facsimiles, including a new colour plate section, this readable classic has been fully revised and updated throughout. It opens with a completely new chapter which explains design and aesthetic principles, explores the history of our relationship to landscape, and shows how design principles can be applied to influence reactions to the finished site. The author then considers different elements of hard landscape and their relative merits in different situations. The soft landscape section includes coverage of the effects of mass and form, natural and abstract planting, and the difficult subject of plant selection. A step-by-step guide through all the stages of managing a project, from initial discussions with clients, site inspection, surveying and quoting, through tendering, contracting, contractual agreements, development from concept design to final plans and drawings, as well as maintenance, now includes the current information on CDM regulations and provides readers with a plain-speaking reference on client management and contractual administration. Added to the guide to drawing and lettering is an extensive section on computer-aided design. A bibliography and list of useful organization are also included.

As Florida is developed the native flora is often replaced with non-native plants. Wildlife habitat is reduced; water, fertilizer and pesticide usage increases; and the appearance of Florida is altered. But you can help reduce the damage being done to our ecosystems by viewing your yard as part of the natural system. This book will help you make a plan that will work for your yard and choose the native plants that will thrive there. You will have the joy of creating an aesthetically pleasing, life-supporting, and environmentally sensitive landscape. Methods for a small fruit and vegetable garden are also covered.

This book is two things: the product of my lifelong work conceiving, developing, and growing the E-Myth way into a business model that has been applied to every imaginable kind of company in the world, as well as a product of Tony's extraordinary experience and success in applying the E-Myth to the development of his equally extraordinary enterprise, Super Lawn Technologies, Inc.

This is a story of two brothers, Geoffrey and Bevis, and their exquisite gardens, Brief and Lunuganga, set in the lush tropical landscape of Sri Lanka. It begins with a largely photographic overview of the country's natural features, showing the varied palette of landscapes that inspired Bawa's sensitive treatment of architecture. At the very heart of the book is an intimate portrait of two gloriously detailed gardens and the personalities that brought them into being. But it is also a story about the nature and landscape of an island of exceptional beauty. As such, the book has something to offer followers of Geoffrey Bawa, tropical-garden enthusiasts and to all those seeking a photographic portrait of Sri Lanka.

Step inside the world's most famous garden and understand the strength of its attraction in this beautiful and fascinating study. Since is was bought and transformed by writer Vita Sackville West and diplomat Harold Nicholson in the 1930s, this garden has captured imaginations with its unique and intricate design. This unforgettable garden of rooms is influential today for its design, its exuberant planting, and its effect on visitors as a complete garden experience. Author Tim Richardson explores its power and its magic, explaining the nuances of its evolution and shows how we can all enjoy it today. Beautiful photographs transport you to the National Trust property, showcasing it in all its brilliance.

A world-renowned horticultural tour de force, Arabella Lennox-Boyd is one of the most accomplished landscape designers of our time. House and Garden Arabella Lennox-Boyd is one of the foremost garden designers in the world. She has created some of the country's most stunning private gardens, in addition to commissions for the Serpentine Sackler Gallery and projects for Sting and Sir Terence Conran. Looking back over her extraordinary career, Arabella takes us on a tour of the gardens that have had a particular interest or meaning to her. She describes the inspirations that led to the final design and plant combination. Famed for her herbaceous borders and a passionate collector of plants and shrubs, Arabella imparts her expert wisdom on planting and offers practical advice on landscaping. The book will be illustrated with beautiful photography and accompanied by Arabella's sketches and planting plans.

It's been more than forty years since the second edition of this landmark guide to the preservation and restoration of gardens and landscapes at historic sites was published. Since the last edition came out, author Rudy Favretti, the nation's foremost authority in this area, has worked on many significant sites including both Monticello and Mount Vernon. New to this edition are: *Personal case studies from the authors' extensive experience in landscape restoration-preservation * An in-depth look complete with color images of the archaeological excavations at Bacon's Castle and Monticello in Virginia *Seventy-three illustrations including eight color photos *An enlarged and comprehensive bibliography *Fully updated and added chapters based on new and emerging information in the field Further, Landscape and Gardens for Historic Buildings covers a wide array of topics including researching and planning, maintaining restored landscapes, identifying authentic flora, and selecting the right historical period, or a series of periods to show the evolution of the historic landscape.

Ben Raskin's wide-ranging work in varied locations makes The Woodchip Handbook a really useful overview of the possibilities afforded by woodchip. Charles Dowding, author of Charles Dowding's No Dig Gardening The first and only complete guide to sourcing and using woodchip - an abundant, inexpensive and ecologically sustainable material - for savvy growers and landscapers at any scale, from farm to garden to greenhouse. The Woodchip Handbook is the essential guide to the many uses of woodchip both in regenerative agriculture and horticulture. Author Ben Raskin, Head of Horticulture and Agroforestry at the Soil Association, draws on his extensive practical experience using woodchip, provides the latest research from around the world and presents inspiring case studies from innovative farmers. The book explores and unlocks the tremendous potential of woodchip to enhance soil health and plant growth: As a natural mulch for weed suppression, temperature buffering and water conservation As a growing medium for propagating plants As a decomposing source of warmth for hotbeds in the greenhouse or hoop house As a carbon-rich compost ingredient that supports beneficial fungi and microorganisms As a powerful soil health booster when applied as small-sized ramial chipped wood As an ideal substrate for growing many kinds of edible or medicinal mushrooms As a sustainable, versatile and durable material for foot paths and ornamental landscaping Some of these techniques, like mulching - or the renewable harvest potential from coppicing and pollarding trees - have been around forever. Yet there is always new science to be discovered, such as the role that salicylic acid from willow woodchip can play in preventing tree diseases or promoting livestock health when used as a bedding material. Whether you are a commercial grower or farmer, a permaculture practitioner or a serious home gardener producing your own fruit and vegetables, The Woodchip Handbook will show you how to get the most out of this readily available and renewable material. I did not know the world needed a whole book on woodchip, but from the first chapter I could not put this book down. Alys Fowler, author of The Edible Garden and The Thrifty Gardener

Design the Perfect Landscape for Your Home - In 12 Simple Steps!

Let Janet Macunovich's practical approach to design help you transform your yard and garden into the landscape of your dreams! New homeowners and first - time landscapers will love this specific, easy-to-understand method. Experienced gardeners will appreciate the professional advice and helpful tips for improving their yards and gardens. Whatever your experience, this book will help you avoid costly and time-consuming mistakes. Most important, it will teach you how to customize a landscape design unique to your needs.

In Postcards from the Hedge, Jill Appenzeller reflects on life, family, and human nature in the context of her ever-changing garden. The book is a collection of vivid vignettes that span all four seasons as well as decades of memories both in and out of the garden. From Gossip Girls, the story of the neighborhood kids organizing a garden club, to I Don't Want It Perfect I Want It Tuesday, about all the things that never get done in life as well as in the garden, this is the story of humbling failures and unexpected surprises, of friends and friendships, and the gift of being present in the moment. Filled with humorous anecdotes and surprising insights. Postcards from the Hedge explores what gardening can teach us about ourselves and the world we live in.

'A brilliant and inspirational starter kit for anyone who wants to make a garden to suit their own needs.' - Alan Titchmarsh Although excited by the prospect of moving into their own home for the first time, many people are mystified at the thought of what to do with their outdoor space. Frances Tophill's fuss-free, practical guide shows you how to create a space outside your own back door that's designed by you, built by you and enjoyed by you. Beginning with advice on getting to know your garden - what type of soil you have, what the drainage and light is like - then on getting to know yourself as a gardener - do you want a vegetable patch, an abundance of flowers or simply an extension of your indoor living space? - and then moving on to the practical design, including hard and soft landscaping and building materials and guidance, Frances guides you through different types of plants and how to source and plant them. There is also a section on aftercare, telling you the best way to keep your garden well cared for and easy to maintain throughout the year.

Born in Florence in 1910, Pietro Porcinai grew up on the classic grounds of the Villa Gamberaia in Settignano where his father served as head gardener. Although he studied agriculture in college, Porcinai's true interest lay in the landscape architecture practice he founded in 1938. Early projects centered in the area of Arezzo, whose style reflected modernA ized traditional models. In the postwar era the office flourished, producing modern gardens of remarkable design and use of plants. In these works, Porcinai convincingly demonstrated the affinity between historical architecture and landscapes unA compromisingly modern. During his long and productive career he also consulted on autostrada planning, and designed public parks, memorials, and even a Pinocchio theme park-at times collaborating with noted architects such as Renzo Piano, Carlo Scarpa and Oscar Niemeyer. This book, the first English-language study on Pietro Porcinai provides a comprehensive and richly illustrated overview of his life and remarkable achievements.