Landscape gardening Books

Book SynopsisEven if you've never lifted a trowel, you'll be growing gorgeous plants and flowers in no time flat with the beginner-friendly advice and know-how found in The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers. Trade Review"Again, a great, great book for the beginning gardener. This one would make a great Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift. And if you’re the one in need of a great gardening primer, this is it. A weekend’s worth of reading and a reference that you’ll use for years." -- Andrew Messinger * The Hampton Gardener/27East.com *"Want to learn the different ways to mulch, prune, compost, recognize plant diseases, and deal with animals?" -- Pat Leuchtman * Common Weeder *"While the book may seem like a lot of information, it is perfect for holding any gardener’s hands while also still reminding experienced gardeners about basics that may very well be skipping over" -- Susan Bewley * Budget Earth *"...the perfect introductory gardening book for those just starting to learn about planting and tending to the landscape outdoors." * Home for the Harvest *"It even explains the difference between annuals and perennials and gives time-management advice." * California Bountiful magazine *Table of Contents1 Understanding the Basics about Plants and Flowers: Definitions, Concepts, and More 2 The Building Blocks of Your Garden: Plant Needs, Garden Layout, and Containers 3 Getting Prepared for Your Garden: Taking Inventory, Tools, and More 4 Planting Your Garden: Steps, Tips, and Common Mistakes 5 Caring for Your Garden: The What, When, and How 6 Common Garden Problems You Will Run Into (and How to Avoid Them) 7 Putting It All Together 8 Get Out There and Grow Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Author Acknowledgments About the Authors Index

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Book SynopsisIn The Urban Garden you’ll find dozens of inspiring and creative ways to grow flowers, shrubs, vegetables, herbs, and other plants in small spaces and with a limited budget.   Whether you want to grow on a balcony, rooftop, front stoop, or a tiny urban patio, turn your growing dreams into reality and build a gorgeous and unique garden that showcases your personal style while still being functional and productive. With the ingenious ideas and resourceful tactics found here, you’ll be maximizing yields and beauty from every square inch of your space, while also making a lush outdoor living area you’ll crave spending time in.  Take inspiration from urban gardeners around the world and learn to:   Install planting pockets on fences and walls Grow a rooftop garden in lightweight grow bags Tips for designing small spaces that feel BIG Trade Review"Anyone with a yen to garden but little room for digging will find this worth returning to." * Publishers Weekly *"With photos and descriptions of countless mini-landscapes—along with tips and tricks to try yourself—The Urban Garden inspires and energizes, too." -- Susan Brackney * HobbyFarms.com *"Consider this a gardening cookbook—with enticing recipes you’ll immediately want to go out and try." -- Mary Kate Mackey * Shepherd.com *"The Urban Garden book is jam-packed with 101 great ideas, that beginner and experienced gardeners will learn from. This book is beautifully laid out with gorgeous, colorful photographs that will inspire you to create the garden of your dreams, no matter if it is a small space or a large plot. It’s well thought out and an easy read." * ToniGattone.com *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTIONCHAPTER 1 Clever ContainersCHAPTER 2 Creative Flower GrowingCHAPTER 3 Food GrowingCHAPTER 4 Garden EntertainingCHAPTER 5 Intensive Gardening for Small SpacesCHAPTER 6 Gardening Styles for Small SpacesCHAPTER 7 Privacy BoostersCHAPTER 8 Recycled & Repurposed InspirationCHAPTER 9 Small-Space SolutionsCHAPTER 10 Supporting Urban WildlifeCHAPTER 11 Vertical Growing IdeasABOUT THE AUTHORSPHOTOGRAPHERS’ CREDITSINDEXINTRODUCTIONCHAPTER 1 Clever ContainersCHAPTER 2 Creative Flower GrowingCHAPTER 3 Food GrowingCHAPTER 4 Garden EntertainingCHAPTER 5 Intensive Gardening for Small SpacesCHAPTER 6 Gardening Styles for Small SpacesCHAPTER 7 Privacy BoostersCHAPTER 8 Recycled & Repurposed InspirationCHAPTER 9 Small-Space SolutionsCHAPTER 10 Supporting Urban WildlifeCHAPTER 11 Vertical Growing IdeasABOUT THE AUTHORSPHOTOGRAPHERS’ CREDITSINDEX

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Book SynopsisOver 250 inspiring images and engaging text cover the techniques necessary to successful sculpt any hillside and enhance backyards with concrete. Contractors will feel empowered to unleash their inner artists. Designers will become inspired to create hillside expanses. Among the projects explored are beautiful, curved stairways, lit walls, raised patios, fire pits, and built-in seating that transform bland backyard slopes into view-commanding getaways. Further inspiration is provided by a gallery of spectacular completed projects. For the contractor, Ralston shares wisdom from years of business experience and training to help readers navigate the various challenges they face. The author explains design development, bid building, and suggests how to translate those into contracts. Also emphasized here are ways to make projects profitable by keeping them in line with the initial bid. Also reviewed are ways to keep clients happy by involving them throughout the project, and how to documen

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Book SynopsisMany supernatural creatures are said to inhabit our world. Their magical, wonderland realm has been the subject of many books, movies, and our childhood dreams. In this richly illustrated book, 30 designers from around the world transform natural settings into enchanting displays that recreate that sense of wonder. Using artificial flowers, fabric, sticks, wire, crystals, berries, acorns, baskets, and polymer clay, these designers have been inspired to create their own once upon a time fairy home and garden for special events, storytelling, or just because they believe in fairies. In doing so, they tap into our inner child and help us to imagine a new world. This is a wonderful resource for designers and artists, as well as parents, teachers, or anyone looking to create their own magical place.

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Book SynopsisInspired solutions for all types of outdoor spaces - from urban and suburban to country - in a highly curated collection of 35 designsAward-winning designer Matt Keightley presents gardens created either by him or by other leading contemporary designers that provide the inspiration to transform any outdoor space. Each case study discusses the goal or inspiration for the design and includes a detailed plan, a design checklist, and information on the materials and plants used complete with a wealth of gorgeous photographs.The book is divided into four sections: Showstoppers (8 gardens featuring a high-design concept but created in an achievable way), Family-friendly (8 gardens that incorporate play areas and spaces for pets and family meals), Minimalist (10 gardens with larger areas of hardscaping and restrained planting), and Plants-Lovers (9 gardens where more than half of the outdoor space is devoted to plantings).All types of outdoor spaces are covered from a

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Book SynopsisLandscaping with Trees in the Midwest: A Guide for Residential and Commercial Properties describes sixty-five desirable tree species, their characteristics, and their uses.Trade Review“The user-friendly, generously illustrated layman’s guide provides photos, descriptions and advice on 65 trees that can work in Midwestern yards.” * Columbus Dispatch *“Home and business owners know that trees are necessary for—among many other benefits—providing shade, reflecting heat, and blocking wind. But choosing the right trees for the right location and Midwestern conditions is not always easy. With Landscaping with Trees in the Midwest, Scott Zanon provides a generously illustrated guide to 65 excellent tree species, their characteristics, as well as their uses in the landscape.” * Better Homes and Gardens *“…An invaluable guide for any homeowner in the Midwest.” * Current Books on Gardening and Botany, Chicago Botanic Garden *“You wouldn’t buy a crib and expect your kid to sleep in it till he’s eighteen. So why would you plant a dawn redwood six feet from your house? Yet Scott Zanon sees that kind of heedlessness in landscaping all the time. That’s why he’s written Landscaping With Trees in the Midwest, a book intended to help readers in our region choose trees that will thrive and enhance their properties.” * Akron Beacon Journal *“Landscaping with Trees in the Midwest should be considered a required text for arborists working with the public. It would also make a great resource for tree commission volunteers and any citizen honored with the important task of caring, managing and decision making for our urban forest.” * Buckeye Arborist *“In addition to the 65 tree profiles there are a number of handy ‘tree usage’ lists in the book as well as special sections on topics such as ‘trees versus turf’, emerald ash borer, and Scott's version of Why Trees Matter (‘Why Plant Trees’).” * Buckeye Yard and Garden *“There are encyclopedia types of books that list all possible trees.… Zanon has taken a different approach and compiled an excellent reference for desirable trees for the landscape.”“This book is a valuable guide for the professional as well as the new homeowner. This is substance, not flash. The choices show considerable experience with the trees discussed.”Table of Contents* Foreword to the First Edition * Preface to the Expanded Edition * Preface to the First Edition * Acknowledgments * Trees versus Turf * Why Plant Trees? * Selecting Trees * Selective Pruning and Shade Seeding * Tree Cultural Practices * List of 65 Desirable Trees * Tree Growth Rates & Sizes Table * United States Hardiness Zone Maps * Individual List by Scientific Name with Color Photographs * Emerald Ash Borer: EAB * Plant Usage Guide: Scientific Name * Plant Usage Guide: Common Name * Bibliography * Index

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Book SynopsisIntroduces techniques for preserving the natural land on which we build new homes, offices, or even shopping centers. This work stresses that the unnatural landscapes so common in America literally exist on artificial life support. It also discusses the importance of soils, and argues for the preservation and maintenance of natural habitats.Trade Review"For offering workable alternatives in nontechnical terms to ecologically minded home owners, contractors, and architects, the Wasowskis' book is highly recommended." - Library Journal"

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Book SynopsisWhile most landscape and garden design resources focus either on design principles or on plant materials, Plants in Design provides a palette of options organized by mature size and scale, covering many genres of plants from grasses to herbaceous perennials, woody shrubs and trees, and even annuals and interior plants.

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Book SynopsisThe Midwestern Native Garden offers Midwestern gardeners and landscapers—amateurs and professionals—a comprehensive selection of noninvasive regional native wildflowers and plants to replace or complement popular nonnative species.Trade Review“At last, an idea whose time has come! This is the only book I know of, for the Midwest, that systematically suggests native plants of similar appearance and growing requirements, to replace nonnatives we might otherwise plant in our landscapes. Importantly, The Midwestern Native Garden alerts the reader to the natives’ unique roles in attracting and sustaining increased biodiversity in our gardens.” -- Maryann Whitman, Editor * Wild Ones Journal *“This book helps you transform your existing ornamental gardens to native ones by providing lists of native plants with similar form, color, and growing conditions to the ornamentals you may have now. Five years ago, my gardens were approximately one-third native. Now they are more than four-fifths native. This book helped me do this.” * GoNativesNow *“For Midwestern gardeners this is an excellent reference book to have on your native plants, and some of them look nicer than their city cousins.” * The National Gardener *“Midwestern gardeners who aim to create native landscapes that provide important habitat to birds and other wildlife have a valuable new resource.” * Audubon Magazine *“Although this book was written for the Midwest, many of the natives it recommends are found in other parts of the continent, or have closely related counterparts. As a result, (The Midwestern Native Garden) is useful to gardeners well beyond the Midwest.” * Bluebird: Journal of the North American Bluebird Society *“This book will be a welcome guide to gardeners whose styles range from formal to naturalistic but who want to create an authentic sense of place with regional natives.” * Michigan Gardener *“Midwestern gardeners have the great good fortune to be the targeted readers for this beautiful guide that offers native alternatives to the conventional plants sold by mainstream nurseries.… The Midwestern Native Garden is a fascinating and informative book.…” * Blazing Star: Newsletter of the North American Native Plant Society *“Organized by blooming season, lists of non-natives (printed in red) and their alternative native counterparts (printed in black), simplify gardening considerations and choices…. The photos and illustrations are numerous, colorful, and enticing.” * Illinois Audubon *“Adelman and Schwartz have written an informative, beautifully illustrated book.… Every Midwestern gardener interested in the reintroduction of native plants will want to own this book. Applicable to gardens in adjacent states as well.” * Library Journal *“(The Midwestern Native Garden) is a rare book, one that systematically, season by season, suggests native plants to replace the exotic plants we are accustomed to planting in our Midwestern gardens… . This book belongs on the reference shelves of all plants people.” * Wild Ones Journal *“We can’t all hire a local prairie expert to help us design our gardens, but we can read The Midwestern Native Garden...(The authors) have compiled a reference that is both comprehensive and extremely accessible.” * About.com, Gardening *“What a great idea! Local authors Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz compiled a wealth of information for those of us who are looking to add a few native plants to our gardens or for those who intend to go all-the-way native. I had the luxury of spending a morning in their beautiful gardens.… I saw firsthand how native plants will bring the birds, butterflies and other pollinators as only a balanced eco-system will do. Color and motion!” * Chicago Sun-Times *“Adelman and Schwartz present information on plants…in an easy-to-read manner appropriate for a beginning gardener or the college-level instructor…. Readers will appreciate the lengthy introductions to each section, interspersed as they are with quotes from historical figures and early pioneers viewing the landscape for the very first time. In emphasizing the importance of using native plants, The Midwestern Native Garden will engage gardeners, landscape professionals, and land managers alike.” * Great Plains Research *“This book has a beautiful layout with color photos or crisp illustrations on virtually every page. There is something field guide-like about the book even though the text is arranged seasonally rather than by identification key. Each of the four seasons is given a chapter.” * Butterfly Gardener *“At the heart of this very practical, well illustrated book is the fact that every garden is an interdependent community of plants, birds, insects, and micro-organisms.… Each page presents much detailed information and requires some careful reading, but the entries are well organized, very useful, and written in an appealing style.” * Missouri Prairie Journal *“This lovely and inspired book will turn your mind to the future, to gardening, and to creation, of whatever divine, authorial, or arboreal inspiration. Get your green fingers at the ready.” * ReadWorthy Books *“The material in this book—comprehensive, impassioned and highly focused—is valuable and supportive for the gardener who is tentative about growing natives. It offers a huge menu of plants for a person who is committed to creating a dynamic, healthy environment of native plants.” * Rapid City Journal *The authors make it simple to reform your gardening practices by using the book—whether you are a simple city or suburban homeowner with annuals and a few bushes and shrubs—or a muncipal entity in charge of big parks and major public landscapes—the book provides plenty of alternatives that are just as pretty and easy to care for...The book also calms fears that a native garden means a weedy and messy look. It can be just as neat and manicured as a nonnative conglomeration. * CBA Record (Chicago Bar Association) *“The Midwestern Native Garden will be a welcome guide to gardeners whose styles range from formal to naturalistic but who want to create an authentic sense of place, with regional natives.” * Openlands *“Also helpful (in The Midwestern Native Garden) are the highly detailed, well-researched sections at the back of the book. There’s a glossary of terms, an extensive bibliography and resource guide, plus an index that’s color coded to correspond to the text of the book with non-natives listed in red type and natives in black.” * Chicagoland Gardening *“The 268-page paperback is flush with possible substitutes of common garden plants from ajuga and day lilies to tansy and chrysanthemums.… Adelman says the book’s goal is to raise awareness of the vital role that native plants play in the ecosystem and prompt gardeners to consider options.” * The Columbus Dispatch *“The use of native plants in a garden preserves both our native beauty and the pollinators, such as butterflies, that evolved with these plants. This book is a key resource for achieving these goals.” * The Ohio Lepidopterists *

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1995, this invaluable guide to the trees, shrubs, ground covers, and smaller plants that thrive in New Mexico’s many life zones and growing areas is now available in a long-awaited new edition. Landscape architect Baker H. Morrow considers the significant factors that impact planting in New Mexico to provide the tools for successful gardens and landscapes in the state.

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Book SynopsisA definitive survey of the glorious British landscapes designed by Humphry Repton, whose influence is felt everywhere from the rolling meadows and kitchen gardens of English estates to New York City’s Central Park. Widely acknowledged as the last great landscape designer of the eighteenth century, Humphry Repton created work that survives as a bridge between the picturesque theory of Capability Brown and the pastoral philosophy of Frederick Law Olmsted. By turns inspired by and in opposition to the grandeur of Brown’s estates, Repton’s contribution to the British landscape encompassed a tremendous range, from subtle adjustments that emphasized the natural features of the countryside to deliberate interventions that challenged the notion of the picturesque. This remarkable book explores 15 of Repton’s most celebrated landscapes—from the early maturity of his gardens at Courteenhall and Mulgrave Castle to more adventurousTrade Review"The organizing idea of the book is straightforward -to pair photographs of the existing landscapes with the drawings and plans Repton made for them. Cornish's photographs are not simply illustrative. They bring out the rich strangeness of the English landscape features, and his eye attends to the details of light, shadow, and texture that we don't often see in staid landscape photography of great houses. Educated as a gentleman farm - er rather than a landscape gar dener, Repton avoided specific details or instructions for his designs, Phibbs says, preferring to focus on the site context, and it is in this that he has had the most influence on the Ameri - can landscape. In Frederick Law Olmsted, a Repton admirer, we see the next expression of Repton's ideas of the character of the 'situation,' as he called it. Olmsted derives some understanding of the importance of the spirit of the place as a generative force from Repton, an idea we have recently come back to after a long time away." —LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE

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Book SynopsisThe much-anticipated comprehensive survey of one of the world's most acclaimed landscape garden designers, famous for his extraordinarily sophisticated use of light and geometry in nature.Spanish landscape designer Fernando Caruncho has spent over four decades impressing the world with his breathtaking garden designs, which create a perfect union of architectural design within nature. His sources of inspiration are as diverse as Islamic design, Zen Buddhism, and European Classicism, and the control of light, geometrical scale, and use of local materials are key principles of his design approach.In this book, Caruncho personally curates a selection of twenty-six of his international garden projects ranging from private residences to large agricultural estates and public spaces, including a vineyard in Italy, a private garden in Biarritz, France, and an expansive estate in New Jersey. Caruncho gives readers a glimpse at his creative thought process through inspirat

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Book SynopsisAn updated edition of the Rizzoli classic to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of this seminal American landscape designer. A landscape architect, city planner, and creative genius who transformed the American landscape, Frederick Law Olmsted was a man of passionate vision and drive. He defined the profession of landscape architecture and designed America’s most outstanding landscapes, many gorgeously illustrated here, including New York’s Central Park, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, the U. S. Capitol grounds, and the Biltmore Estate. During a remarkable forty-year career that began in the mid-1800s, Olmsted created the first major urban parks and park systems in this country, along with widely influential suburban residential communities. He was a pivotal figure in the movement to create scenic reservations and national parks, such as Niagara Falls, Yosemite, and Yellowstone, and he contributed to the design of many academic campuses, includi

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Book SynopsisThe New York City treasure, newly photographed, is revealed as garden in the city, repository for memory, and a place for repose, inspiration, and delight.Green-Wood is a living cemetery that brings people closer to the world by memorializing the dead even as it embraces the art, history, and natural beauty of New York. Founded in 1838 and now a National Historic Landmark, Green-Wood was one of the first rural cemeteries in America. By the early 1860s, it had earned an international reputation for its beauty, attracting 500,000 visitors a year, second only to Niagara Falls as the nation’s greatest tourist attraction. Crowds flocked here to enjoy family outings in the finest of first-generation American landscapes. Green-Wood’s popularity helped inspire the creation of public parks, including New York City’s Central and Prospect parks. Green-Wood is 478 spectacular acres of hills, valleys, glacial ponds, and paths, throughout which exists one of the larg

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Book SynopsisCalifornia, once the epitome of car culture, is now leading the green movement, transitioning away from the internal combustion engine and to some extent the car—and having to rethink how we live, as this extraordinary urban planning manifesto explores.Drawing together original research, design studies, and cultural essays, Renewing the Dream offers the first comprehensive look at the changes remaking the mobility landscape of Southern California—and the opportunities to reappropriate vast tracts of the city for new uses. Edited by James Sanders and produced with the global architecture studio Woods Bagot, this book explores the forces propelling this shift as well as its controversial impact on Los Angeles, as a city once famed for its car-oriented, low-rise landscape is transformed into a more diverse, more dense, more complex place.This many-sided portrait offers essays by a distinguished group of writers, designs for the city’s futureTrade Review"Glossily illustrated, lucidly written, and thoroughly reported, [Renewing the Dream: The Mobility Revolution and the Future of Los Angeles] makes an argument that is simple yet — pardon the expression — seismic...a catalogue of specifics elegantly laid out by the New York architect and writer James Sanders [with a] collection of essays by Sanders, Nik Karalis, Frances Anderton, Donald Shoup, and Mark Vallianatos, plus interviews, paintings, photographs, sketches, and renderings... making the case that L.A. is finally ready to give up on the failed strategy it has clung to for so long." —Justin Davidson, Curbed/New York Magazine "Renewing the Dream paints the portrait of a city whose history—and future—is intrinsically linked to that of urban mobility." —Fast Company

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Book Synopsis A stunning guide for gardeners keen to transform small and awkward outdoor spaces into beautiful and practical escapes. From courtyards to rooftops, Kate Gould draws on her experience as an award-winning garden designer to provide tailored solutions and inspirational ideas. Covering topics such as how to design and measure the perfect garden, choose and use the best materials and maintain a lush garden all year round, Small Garden Design includes detailed advice for gardeners undeterred by limited space. This carefully illustrated guide ensures gardeners of all abilities achieve the best results outdoors. Creating a personal and unique space is also at the heart of each project and Kate makes sure to discuss how to tie each design back to the interior of the home.

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Book SynopsisA beautifully illustrated history of the Queen of Flowers and her enduring power in our gardens, art, religion and imagination. ‘Fascinating... I’ll never look at a rose in quite the same way again.’ Adrian Tinniswood The rose is bursting with meaning. Over the centuries it has come to represent love and sensuality, deceit, death and the mystical unknown. Today the rose enjoys unrivalled popularity across the globe, ever present at life’s seminal moments. Grown in the Middle East two thousand years ago for its pleasing scent and medicinal properties, it has become one of the most adored flowers across cultures, no longer selected by nature, but by us. The rose is well-versed at enchanting human hearts. From Shakespeare’s sonnets to Bulgaria’s Rose Valley to the thriving rose trade in Africa and the Far East, via museums, high fashion, Victorian England and Belle Epoque France, we meet an astonishing array of specTrade Review‘Fascinating material, surveyed with relish and acumen.’ -- Times Literary Supplement‘Fascinating. Morley moves effortlessly from ancient Greece and Rome to the latest research in neurobiology, taking in alchemy and Pre-Raphaelite art, Modernist poetry and the Grateful Dead along the way. I’ll never look at a rose in quite the same way again.’ -- Adrian Tinniswood, author of Behind the Throne‘Morley’s book is, in part, the story of how humans came to raise roses so consistently and abundantly that we demand them even in freezing February. First, though, By Any Other Name recounts the love affair with a flower that drove us to want to do that in the first place.’ -- Wall Street Journal‘An intellectual and artistic journey… digging around the history of how roses have become entangled with human life. By Any Other Name will be a source of inspiration for us.’ -- Kim Wook-Kyun, President of the South Korea Rose Society‘Quite brilliant… A powerful reminder of how humanity simply cannot exist without the support of nature’s beauty represented by this simple shrub.’ -- Jonny Norton, Head Gardener at Mottisfont Abbey‘By Any Other Name…explores the many facets that make the rose stand out from the rest. Morley expertly crafts the story of the rose from its humble beginnings to its present reality.’ * Washington Gardener *‘From the etymology of its name to the breeders’ search for perfection, via its role in poetry, prose and art, rose growers with a penchant for learning will find this a satisfying read.’ -- Choice

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Book SynopsisThe best person to design the property of your dreams is you. This book gives you the tools to succeed. Building Your Permaculture Property offers a revolutionary holistic method to overcome overwhelm in the complex process of resilient land design. It distills the authors'' decades of experience as engineers, farmers, educators, and consultants into a five-step process complete with principles, practices, templates, and workflow tools to help you: Clarify your vision, values, and resources Diagnose your land and resources for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats Design your land and resources to meet your vision and values Implement the right design to enhance your strengths and improve your weakest resource Establish benchmarks to monitor the sustainability and success of your development. When designing a regenerative permaculture property, too many land stewards Trade Review"As well as being a valuable tool for individuals in their permaculture journeys, Building Your Permaculture Property represents another step towards permaculture being recognized beyond its widespread misconception of being simply a fashionable form of organic gardening. It highlights the need for permaculture design thinking in creating resilient, regenerative, landscapes and communities. Through this work, Rob, Michelle, and Takota make a valuable contribution to the ongoing evolution of permaculture thinking and action." — David Holmgren, permaculture co-originator "A book to take the reader from thinking into action, Building Your Permaculture Property offers an excellent addition to permaculture theory and provides a key resource for all designers. By confronting and working through real, thorny, and often invisible human and landscape problems — a terrain in which they have earned their share of cuts and bruises — the authors slice through the Gordian knot that stops most people from realizing their home and nature visions through a powerful design system. Their vibrant and positive attitude yoked to psychological insight harnesses clean language and a keen focus on process to cut a neat furrow of systematic thinking through the complexity of living systems assessment, design, and management. Offering a window on digital design tools, clever illustrations, and examples from the demanding world of cold prairie farming, the authors have created a well-marked pathway for the advanced learner to reach professional outcomes." — Peter Bane, executive director, Permaculture Institute of North America, author, The Permaculture Handbook "A life well-lived includes leaving the land better than we found it. This fivestep design manual jumpstarts that journey to a foregone conclusion, laying out a thoughtful process for making permaculture principles your own. Every farm, every ranch, and every homestead benefit from thinking deeper about how human intent engages with the places we're blessed to call home. Restoring integrity to degraded ground is our primal mission now as a species. Restoring diversity means planting many more trees. Restoring ecological posterity begins with listening to the heart of the mother... and then reading this book." — Michael Phillips, Holistic Orchard Network, author, The Holistic Orchard "A fresh, integrative, and holistic perspective on how to orientate oneself to the process of establishing your dreams and visions on the land. Designing and managing a farm that can build soil, create amazing food products, and sustain the farmer financially is possible anywhere; and yet it is the clarity of our context and decision-making and our attitudinal responses to design and management that largely underlie success. If you are dreaming of starting out on the land, this book will be a useful companion that will help you clarify your own approach to success, and help you navigate complexity with confidence." — Richard Perkins, author, Regenerative Agriculture, owner, Ridgedale Farm AB and Making Small Farms Work AB "If you are serious about designing a permaculture property, this book has to be in your toolkit. The authors offer an accessible and current guide to the complexity of good design based on years of practical experience." — Morag Gamble, Permaculture Education Institute "Rob, Michelle, and Takota have put a pair of glasses on something that is often blurry in permaculture design: process. Their step-by-step process from beginning to end is exceptionally useful, along with Takota's story which proves the process through a case study of a well-functioning, finely-tuned permaculture farm. Interwoven with a good amount of philosophy and detail, Building Your Permaculture Property is a needed read for anyone who is serious about developing their property through a permaculture design." — Nicholas Burtner, founder and director, The School of PermacultureTable of ContentsForeword by Geoff Lawton Preface Introduction The Problem with Permaculture You Need a Process (Not a Prescription) About This Book and the Companion Website Your Very First Practice: Get an Accountability Partner Step 0: Inspect Your Paradigm The Gorilla in the Room The Upward and Downward Spirals Takota's Story: The Coen Permaculture Farm Upward Spiral Practices for Step 0: Inspect Your Paradigm Step 1: Clarify Your Vision, Values, and Resources What Do You Have? What Is Right? Takota's Story: Two Paths to the Same Cliff What Do You Want? Walking Through a Field of Landmines Blinded by a Scarf Be Careful What You Wish For Practices for Step 1: Clarify Takota's Story: Buckets of Well-being Step 2: Diagnose Your Resources for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Takota's Story: Don't Skip Your Diagnosis! A Watershed of Information Takota's Story: Growing Up a Carpenter Two Stages of Diagnosis Black Swans Takota's Story: Black Swan Dam The Value of Digital Mapping and Open Data Practices for Step 2: Diagnose Step 3: Design Your Resources to Meet Your Vision and Values Why Design? What Design Is Not Takota's Story: To Swale or Subsoil? Form, Timing, Placement, and Scale Takota's Story: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Creating a Permaculture Design Practices for Step 3: Design Step 4: Implement the Right Design That Will Most Improve Your Weakest Resource What Is Your Birdshot? What Is Your Slug? Pull the Trigger Good, Bad, and Ugly Decisions Takota's Story: The Bazooka Approach Practices for Step 4: Implement Takota's Story: My Best Advice for Solving Any Problem Step 5: Monitor Your Resources for Indicators of Well-being or Suffering The Push and Pull of Life Monitoring Your Resources Takota's Story: Monitoring for Mastitis Takota's Story: Building My Own Permaculture Property Takota's Story: An Ecosystem Disguised as a Farm Practices for Step 5: Monitor The Solution to a Sisyphean Task Putting It All Together Your Very Last Practice: Your Permaculture Property Planner Afterword: The Land Needs Us to Live Differently Here Glossary Notes Index About the Authors About New Society Publishers

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Book SynopsisFrom Historic Royal Palaces, Royal Blooms explores how plants and flowers have formed an integral part of the history of the crown from the past through to the present day.

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 Part 1: Getting Started with Low-Water Landscaping 5 Chapter 1: Lacking Water? No Problem 7 Chapter 2: Conserving and Harvesting Water 21 Chapter 3: Waste Not, Want Not: Watering Strategically 41 Chapter 4: Making Soil Your Ally 61 Chapter 5: Watering with Irrigation Systems 83 Part 2: Making Smart Plant Choices 101 Chapter 6: Choosing Flowers 103 Chapter 7: Selecting Succulents 121 Chapter 8: In It for the Long Haul: Shrubs, Vines, and Trees 139 Chapter 9: Raising Edible Foods 157 Chapter 10: Planting and Caring for Low-Water Plants 175 Part 3: Leaving Your Lawn Behind 203 Chapter 11: Taking Out a Lawn 205 Chapter 12: Replacing Grass with Low-Water Solutions 221 Chapter 13: Considering Artificial Turf 241 Chapter 14: Pondering Rock Gardening 249 Part 4: Landscaping with Watering Needs in Mind 263 Chapter 15: Appreciating Mulch and Other Helpful Products 265 Chapter 16: Keeping Water in Your Yard 283 Chapter 17: Succeeding with Potted Plants 297 Chapter 18: Including Water Features in Your Landscape 307 Chapter 19: Updating Xeriscaping for Today’s Low-Water Landscapes 317 Part 5: The Parts of Tens 325 Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Avoid Wasting Landscape Water 327 Chapter 21: Ten Great-Looking, Low-Water Plants 333 Index 341

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