Home Landscaping : California Region

by Holmes, Roger; Walheim, Lance

• ISBN13: 9781580110464
• ISBN10: 1580110460
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-01-01
• Publisher: Creative Homeowner Pr

Summary

In this book, the fifth title in Creative Homeowner's amazingly successful Regional Home Landscaping Series, readers will find ideas for making a California home landscape more attractive and functional. They'll also find all they need to know about installing and caring for the plants, paths, fences, walls, and arbors that make up the designs. Created by landscape professionals in California, the book's almost 40 designs incorporate about 200 of the best plants for the specific region. Like the other titles in the Series, this book contains three parts: Design Portfolio, Guide to Installations, and Plant Portraits. Clearly written in a friendly style, it provides all readers need to know to landscape like a pro.

Author Biography

Roger Holmes is the founding editor of Fine Gardening magazine. He co-edited the monumental Taylor''s Master Guide to Gardening and other highly regarded gardening books, and produced the landscaping series of which this book is part. He also co-wrote Creative Homeowner''s Creating Good Gardens.

Lance Walheim lives in California and has authored or contributed to more than 30 gardening books, including Lawns for Dummies, Roses for Dummies, The Natural Rose Gardener, and Citrus. He has also been a staff editor at Sunset magazine.

Table of Contents

About This Book	8	(4)
As Your Landscape Grows	12	(4)
PORTFOLIO OF DESIGNS
First Impressions	16	(4)
Make a pleasant passage to your front door
A Foundation with Flair	20	(4)
Flowers and foliage create a front garden
Up Front and Formal	24	(4)
Garden geometry transforms a small front yard
An Eye-Catching Corner	28	(4)
Beautify a boundary with easy-care plants
Streetwise and Stylish	32	(4)
Give your curbside strip a new look
Landscape a Low Wall	36	(4)
A two-tier garden and patio replace a bland slope
Beautify a Blank Wall	40	(4)
A vertical garden makes the most of a narrow site
A Shady Hideaway	44	(4)
Build a cozy retreat in a corner of your yard
An Outdoor ``Living'' Room	48	(4)
Patio and shady arbor provide open-air opportunities
Splash Out	52	(4)
Make a water garden the focus of outdoor activities
Garden in the Round	56	(4)
Create a planting with several attractive faces
A Beginning Border	60	(4)
Flowers and a wall make a traditional design
Back to Nature	64	(4)
Create a wooded retreat in your backyard
A No-Mow Slope	68	(4)
A terraced planting transforms a steep site
Under the Old Shade Tree	72	(4)
Create a cozy garden in a cool spot
A Pleasant Passage	76	(4)
Reclaim a narrow side yard for a stroll garden
Down to Earth	80	(4)
Harmonize your deck with its surroundings
Gateway Garden	84	(4)
Arbor, fence, and plantings make a handsome entry
Front-Door Makeover	88	(4)
Enhance your main entry in a weekend
An Island Retreat	92	(6)
Create a freestanding patio garden
GUIDE TO INSTALLATION
Organizing Your Project	98	(2)
Introducing the tasks involved in a landscape installation. How to organize them for best results.
Clearing the Site	100	(2)
Removing turf, weeds, and other unwanted material.
Water for Your Plants	102	(2)
Water-wise practices. Watering system.
Making Paths and Walkways	104	(6)
Choosing materials, preparing the base, installing edgings, laying the surface.
Laying a Patio	110	(2)
Employing the same materials and techniques as for walks and paths. Ensuring proper drainage.
Installing a Pond	112	(4)
Siting, excavating, installing a flexible liner or fiberglass shell. Growing pond plants.
Building a Retaining Wall	116	(4)
Laying out, excavating, and assembling a precast modular wall system and steps.
Fences, Arbors, and Trellises	120	(12)
Wood selection, layout, post setting, basic construction. Plans for building the fences, trellises, and arbors shown in the Portfolio of Designs.
Preparing the Soil for Planting	132	(4)
Digging and improving the soil. Edging for beds.
Buying Plants	136	(1)
Where to go, what to look for, how to get the best quality and price.
The Planting Process	137	(2)
When to plant, steps in the planting process, spacing. Annuals as fillers.
Planting Basics	139	(2)
Plants in containers, balled-and-burlapped plants, bare-root plants, ground covers, and bulbs.
Basic Landscape Care	141	(4)
Mulches and fertilizers. Controlling weeds. Watering.
Caring for Woody Plants	145	(5)
Basic pruning for trees, shrubs, vines, and roses. Making a hedge.
Caring for Perennials	150	(2)
Routine care, pruning, dividing.
Problem Solving	152	(30)
Understanding common problems with animal and insect pests and diseases. Winter damage.
PLANT PROFILES
Descriptions of all the plants shown in the Portfolio of Designs, plus information on how to plant and care for them.	156	(26)
Glossary	182	(2)
Photo Credits	184	(1)
Index	184