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 1

Part I: Sustainable Landscaping: The Basics 7

Chapter 1: Landscaping the Sustainable Way 9

Chapter 2: Making Good Decisions about What to Include in Your Landscape 23

Chapter 3: Deciding Whether to Do It Yourself or Call in the Pros 39

Part II: Good Design: The Key to Sustainable Landscaping 51

Chapter 4: Getting Better Acquainted with Your Property 53

Chapter 5: Brushing Up on Design Basics 69

Chapter 6: Plotting Your Sustainable Landscape 83

Part III: Water, Water, Everywhere: Water-Conserving Irrigation and Drainage 103

Chapter 7: Surveying Your Watering Options 105

Chapter 8: The Nuts and Bolts of Water Harvesting, Irrigation, and Drainage 121

Chapter 9: Managing Water: The Other Half of the Irrigation Equation 145

Chapter 10: Maintaining Water-Harvesting and Irrigation Systems 155

Part IV: Hardscaping Made Easy: Creating Awesome Features without Wrecking the Environment 163

Chapter 11: Preparing Your Site 165

Chapter 12: Exploring Basic Hardscape Elements and Outdoor Rooms 173

Chapter 13: Spicing Up Your Hardscape with Other Fun and Functional Elements 193

Chapter 14: Sustainable Hardscape Construction 205

Chapter 15: Hardscape Maintenance 223

Part V: Great Greenery for a Green Garden 231

Chapter 16: Planting the Seed: Sustainable Plant Basics 233

Chapter 17: Introducing Beneficial Trees and Shrubs to Your Landscape 257

Chapter 18: Enhancing Your Landscape’s Sustainability with Smaller Plants 269

Chapter 19: Exploring Lower Impact Lawns and Sustainable Lawn Alternatives 289

Chapter 20: Examining the Essentials of Sustainable Garden Care 299

Chapter 21: Pest and Disease Control the Sustainable Way 313

Chapter 22: Opting for Organic Lawn Care 321

Part VI: The Part of Tens 333

Chapter 23: Ten Projects That Pay You and the Environment Back Big Time 335

Chapter 24: Ten Totally Nonsustainable Landscaping Mistakes and How to Avoid Them 339

Appendix: Planning for Special Situations 345

Index 351