Taylor's Master Guide to Landscaping - Hardcover

Buchanan, Rita

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0618055908 ISBN 13: 9780618055906

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000

Synopsis

The companion volume to Taylor's Master Guide to Gardening reveals the vital components of landscape design, urging readers to approach landscaping with function as well as form in mind and offering advice on choosing a site, selecting plants, creating garden accessories, and maintaining a landscape.

About this title

About the Author

Rita Buchanan is the coeditor and co-author of TAYLOR'S MASTER GUIDE TO GARDENING as well as many other books. A botanist, horticulturist, and passionate gardener and designer, she turned a featureless cow pasture into a glorious garden landscape surrounding her home. She resides in Connecticut.

Reviews

Comprehensive and easy to follow, Buchanan's companion volume to Taylor's Master Guide to Gardening covers just about all the features that can be included in home landscapes--from lawns and foundation plantings to fences, driveways, bridges, steps, outdoor rooms, pools and outdoor lighting. Buchanan encourages homeowners to think carefully about the specific requirements of the site (topography, shape of the lot, size of the budget, etc.) before beginning a landscaping project. Then home landscapers can follow her step-by-step instructions and carry out the project on their own or use her tips on hiring professionals to do the work. Buchanan offers a wealth of practical information, from advice on seeing the overall character of a home and its setting to opinions about details, such as which materials are best for paths and walkways. There are also suggestions for choosing and caring for trees, shrubs, vines, ground cover and perennials, with lists of plants appropriate for individual situations. An interesting aspect of the book is the author's emphasis on seeing the home landscape in relationship to the surrounding neighborhood and the community as a whole; there are hints, for example, on how to counteract the antisocial impression made by a wall or a fence erected in front of a house. Buchanan's clearly written, abundantly illustrated guide should go a long way toward helping amateurs have the courage to tackle what often seems a daunting task. 425 color photos not seen by PW. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Since the median age of the American home is 30 years, many home landscapes need updating. Von Trapp (Landscaping from the Ground Up), a professional landscape designer and horticulturist, was prompted by her experiences in revitalizing her own home's aging landscape to write a book guiding homeowners step by step through a landscape makeover. Helpful checklists are included for both the planning and execution phases. Beautiful color photos and black-and-white line drawings, along with clear directions for do-it-yourself projects, make this a practical guide for bringing new life to a past-mature yard. Buchanan, a botanist, horticulturist, author of more than 20 books, and contributor to Country Living Gardener, also uses her own home as a showcase for her work. Unlike von Trapp, who focuses on rejuvenating older landscapes and solving common home landscaping problems, Buchanan offers a comprehensive treatment of landscape design, emphasizing designing with plants and including extensive information about choosing and caring for plants, trees, shrubs, vines, and ground covers. Her book, a companion volume to Taylor's Master Guide to Gardening (Houghton, 1994), is a landmark work destined to become a classic. The text is authoritative, but both the language and the examples are down-to-earth. Color photographs, line drawings, plant lists for special purposes, and checklists for projects such as making and using compost enhance this title. Practical yet challenging, both titles will help homeowners to improve their outdoor living environment, add value to their homes, and increase their pleasure in their yards. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.
-Nancy Myers, Univ. of South Dakota Lib., Vermillion
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"Many people are confident in their abilities to build
things, grow plants, or care for a finished landscape,
but intimidated by the idea of designing a landscape.
This is partly because professional designers, like
academics . . . speak a language of their own. Most
'design talk' strikes me as vague, abstract, and
lofty, so I avoid it. Good design is the basis for
successful landscaping and this book is all about
design, but I've deliberately chosen to write in plain
English and use down-to-earth examples. . . You make
design decisions every time you get dressed. Does this
shirt go with these pants? Is it so cold I need a
coat? Home landscape decisions involve similar
questions. Does this gate go with our fence? Would
mountain laurel grow well next to the house? . . .
Designing a landscape is like filling your closet with
a collection of flattering, comfortable clothes that
go together, meet your needs, and suit your style and
situation." -- from the introduction

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0618055908
• ISBN 13: 9780618055906
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 400