California Home Landscaping Book

California Home Landscaping

Table of Contents

About This Book 8

As Your Landscape Grows 12

PORTFOLIO OF DESIGNS

First Impressions 16

• Make a pleasant passage to your front door

A Foundation with Flair 20

• Flowers and foliage create a front garden

Up Front and Formal 24

• Garden geometry transforms a small front yard

An Eye-Catching Corner 28

• Beautify a boundary with easy-care plants

Streetwise and Stylish 32

• Give your curbside strip a new look

Landscape a Low Wall 36

• A two-tier garden and patio replace a bland slope

Beautify a Blank Wall 40

• A vertical garden makes the most of a narrow site

A Shady Hideaway 44

• Build a cozy retreat in a corner of your yard

An Outdoor “Living” Room 48

• Patio and shady arbor provide open-air opportunities

Splash Out 52

• Make a water garden the focus of outdoor activities

Garden in the Round 56

• Create a planting with several attractive faces

A Beginning Border 60

• Flowers and a wall make a traditional design

Back to Nature 64

• Create a wooded retreat in your backyard

A No-Mow Slope 68

• A terraced planting transforms a steep site

Under the Old Shade Tree 72

• Create a cozy garden in a cool spot

A Pleasant Passage 76

• Reclaim a narrow side yard for a stroll garden

Down to Earth 80

• Harmonize your deck with its surroundings

Gateway Garden 84

• Arbor, fence, and plantings make a handsome entry

Front-Door Makeover 88

• Enhance your main entry in a weekend

An Island Retreat 92

• Create a freestanding patio garden

An Entry Oasis 96

• Extend a friendly desert welcome

Backyard Makeover 100

• Getting a lot out of a small, frost-free lot

Poolside Pleasures 104

• Plantings to enhance your swimming pool

Planting in the Pines 108

• Surround your woodland deck with flowering shrubs

GUIDE TO INSTALLATION

Organizing Your Project 114

• Introducing the tasks involved in a landscape installation. How to organize them for best results.

Clearing the Site 116

• Removing turf, weeds, and other unwanted material.

Water for Your Plants 118

• Water-wise practices. Watering systems.

Making Paths and Walkways 120

• Choosing materials, preparing the base, installing edgings, laying the surface.

Laying a Patio 126

• Employing the same materials and techniques as for walks and paths. Ensuring proper drainage.

Installing a Pond 128

• Siting, excavating, installing a flexible liner or fiberglass shell. Growing pond plants.

Building a Retaining Wall 132

• Laying out, excavating, and assembling a precast modular wall system and steps.

Fences, Arbors, and Trellises 136

• 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 148

• Digging and improving the soil. Edging for beds.

Buying Plants 152

• Where to go, what to look for, how to get the best quality and price.

The Planting Process 153

• When to plant, steps in the planting process, spacing. Annuals as fillers.

Planting Basics 155

• Plants in containers, balled-and-burlapped plants, bare-root plants, ground covers, and bulbs.

Basic Landscape Care 157

• Mulches and fertilizers. Controlling weeds. Watering.

Caring for Woody Plants 161

• Basic pruning for trees, shrubs, vines, and roses. Making a hedge.

Caring for Perennials 166

• Routine care, pruning, dividing.

Problem Solving 168

• 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. 172

Glossary 214

Photo Credits 216

Index 217