Giroux - Landscaping basics for dummies

Landscaping Basics For Dummies, Mini Edition

by Philip Giroux, Bob Beckstrom, Lance Walheim, and the Editors of the National Gardening Association

Landscaping Basics For Dummies, Mini Edition

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Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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Copyright 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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ISBN: 978-0-470-45099-4

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Introduction

W e figure that you can find two kinds of people in the world those who have waited and waited until they have a home or some property that they can landscape, and those who never gave landscaping a second thought and suddenly find themselves having to do just that. Whichever camp you belong to, welcome this book is for you.

Good landscaping can do many things for you and your home. A well-planned landscape beautifies your house, wedding it with the surroundings and making it a part of a neighborhood or native terrain. And doing so increases the homes value. Landscaping also makes your house and yard more useful and better able to complement your familys lifestyle, whether you hardly ever step foot in your backyard or want to spend every possible moment outdoors.

Appropriate landscaping can also be functional. Trees can shade your home to reduce energy use. Thorny shrubs can create an impenetrable barrier against possible intruders. Lawns reduce dust from bare ground and are the perfect play area for children. You can entertain or eat outdoors on a patio or deck. And if you leave room for a vegetable garden, you can have fresh salads to enjoy on that patio or deck.

A good landscape also solves problems, providing privacy from nearby neighbors, preventing erosion on steep ground, or channeling water out of soggy, low spots.

Icons Used in This Book

Throughout this book, you can find icons small pictures next to the text that point out extra-important information. Heres what they all mean:

Whenever we tell you something you should commit to memory, we flag it with this icon.

For gems of accumulated wisdom often the kind learned from painful experience follow this icon.

Where to Go from Here

Youve got your minibook copy of Landscaping Basics For Dummies now what? This minibook is a reference, so if you need information on shrubs, head to Chapter 3. Or if youre interested in finding out about trees, go straight to Chapter 2. Or heck, start with Chapter 1 and read the chapters in order... you rebel. If you want even more advice on landscaping, from building decks and patios to increasing your homes resale value, check out the full-size version of Landscaping For Dummies simply head to your local bookseller or go to www.dummies.com !

Chapter 1

Plotting Your Landscape Design

In This Chapter

Assessing your current landscape

Dreaming up your perfect landscape

I n this chapter, we show you how to create a site plan (a drawing of your existing property) and then help you sketch in your landscaping wish list. But this isnt just any old wish list. Your landscape should be perfect for you and for the people living in your house. The hardscape (the parts of your landscape that are physically hard, like a deck or fence) should create an outdoor room for you and your family. The plants in your landscape should provide beauty, privacy, sunblock, or little maintenance whatever youre looking for in your yard. So, go ahead and start dreaming!

Site Analysis: Assessing What You Have

Your first landscape project is to come to grips with your property the way it is now. What are its strengths and weaknesses? What do you like or dislike about your yard? What kind of problems does your landscape have that you need to find solutions for?

This process of assessing your yard is called site analysis. To begin your own site analysis, follow these steps:

Get a piece of paper and a pencil and make a rough drawing of your property.

Be sure to include your house with windows and doors, existing plants, and general north/south directions. Try to draw to scale, but dont worry about being very precise in this rough drawing.