The Complete Idiot's Guide to Landscaping (Complete Idiot's Guide To...)

Rating:
Summary: An excellent Guide!
Review: Landscaping is a science as well as an art, but it doesn't mean you have to leave everything to the pros. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Landscaping" by Joel M. Lerner gives you the essentials so that even if you decide to let professional landscapers dig up, rearrange, and decorate your yard, you can make sure they do exactly what you envisioned. With Lerner's tips and detailed information, you can get a handle on the science and art of your own personal outdoors.

What I appreciate most about Lerner's Guide to Landscaping is the abundance of photos, sketches, and graphics. The layman's language text is well illustrated, leaving very little room for confusion or misinterpretation. And I especially enjoy the headings word play, like "The Plat Thickens," "Rocks Rule!" "Turf's Up!" and "Bean There, Vine That."

Aside from the photos that graphically explain the text, the sidebars and tipboxes are strategically located to answer questions you may have about the topic. For example, the "Green Thumb Guides" offer fundamental information and details spiked with Lerner's personal preferences and suggestions. The "Poison Ivy" box gives warnings and expert cautions about things that are often overlooked or taken for granted. The "Roots and Stems" sidebar includes definitions and explanations of technical landscaping terms. There are also tipboxes on "Planting Ideas" and "Suggested Tools." And most important, at the end of each chapter is a "The Least You Need to Know" section - in-a-nutshell bullet-lists of basics for beginners and reminders for experts.

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Landscaping" appeals to the amateur landscaper because it breaks down complex concepts into simplified schemes. I've always struggled with where to start in planning a decent garden. Lerner organized the whole process into chunks of manageable tasks, and through his book, I now know that I should enlist Mother Nature, study the terrain, and draw my dream garden in detail.

"The constructed environment makes half the aesthetic impact," Lerner said. "The rest happens with the plants and the change of seasons. This book is written to make sure your plantings meet the basic principles of design, offer 12-month interest, appeal to the senses, provide shade, give shelter, attract wildlife, and discourage unwanted visitors, among the numerous other valuable attributes plants provide."

Lerner's book will help you understand the basic principles of landscaping, spark your creativity with its countless site plans and layout ideas, and equip you with the know-how to create a stunning garden and an outdoor home you can be proud of all year round. - Ruby Bayan (www.OurSimpleJoys.com)

Rating:
Summary: Leaving No Stone Unturned
Review: Life is a garden, and it is clear that Lerner digs it. His book has turned me from an all thumbs gardener into a green thumb, confident landscape designer. I wish I could display before and after pictures of my property. Thanks Mr. Lerner for the best tutorial I have found on the topic of landscape design.