User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Excellent resource for new or renewing landscaping
I owned the previous edition of this book, and this updated version is even better than the original. The illustrations are particularly useful: what a specific garden would look like when just planted, 5 years later, and 15 years later–something that many people have difficulty envisioning. The book also devotes several pages each to specific situations, such as different treatments for a roadside mailbox, creating a seating area, and planning for a narrow space between a house and a fence. There are also specific instructions (and step-by-step illustrations) for creating walkways, patios, edging, and of course all shapes and sizes of garden beds. Species of recommended plants and trees are given, as well as information as to what soil, light, and water conditions work best for all plants mentioned.

This book is useful not only in the very first stages of landscaping, but also in latter years, when other types of maintenance or treatments are needed.

4 Stars Full of good ideas
This book is full of good ideas for improving the look of your yard. Plant lists are complete, directions are easy to follow. Illustrations are beautiful. I wish the authors would have put more emphasis on using native plants in their landscaping.

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Midwest Home Landscaping Including Southern Canada

Midwest Home Landscaping Including Southern Canada

Midwest Home Landscaping, Including Southern Canada, shows how to beautify 23 common landscape situations, such as front and back entries, walkways, borders, slopes, and patios. After presenting 46 design variations, the book explains how to install and care for the plants, ponds, walls, and fences involved in the landscape designs. Plants that are proven performers in the Midwest are used in the designs and described in full detail. Step-by-step instructions provide the essential knowledge to tackle each project.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars A very good guide.
I found this book to be a very good guide on the selection of plants to use in our landscaping improvements. I am not much a plant selection person and this book has helped in making some good choices.

5 Stars Great book for Midwest gardeners!
This book is great! It was just what I needed. It has detailed, creative, and artistic landscaping plans plus helpful planting and design information! I bought two copies of this book so I can give my daughter one!

5 Stars Very nice book, helpful and useful, but be forewarned.
It is very very similar to the 1999 edition which I already owned. In my opinion, there is no reason to own both, or to replace the old one with the new one.

5 Stars Excellent book
I’m not a gardener but then again I have never had a house to HAVE a garden. We are moving onto a brand new house and I found this book by accident.

It is outstanding.

It will give you ideas on what to plant in the shade, sun part sun and what I like most are the diagrams. I have no eye for what a garden will look like in 2 months and how I should plant a garden that looks lush and well thought out. I would have planted a garden with random flowers spaced too far apart.

Perfect book for somebody that wants a garden that looks like they knew what they were doing.

5 Stars A first-rate, comprehensive resource for homeowners of all background, regardless of past experience in gardening or landscaping
Written by the founding editor of “Gardening” magazine Roger Holmes and award-winning author Rita Buchanan, and now in a new and expanded edition featuring information on more plants and additional suggested designs, Midwest Home Landscaping Including Southern Canada is a comprehensive guide to making one’s home landscape more attractive and functional. Chapters address how to skillfully plan a design for one’s yard, how to organize one’s project and perform tasks ranging from clearing the site to fences and trellises to the planting process, and profiles of a variety of landscaping plants ideal for homes situated in the upper Midwest and Southern Canada. Step-by-step instructions and full-color photography and diagrams walk the reader through each task, and the text covers both ideas for selecting and coordinating themes as well as practical nitty-gritty details. Midwest Home Landscaping is a first-rate, comprehensive resource for homeowners of all background, regardless of past experience in gardening or landscaping.

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All About Creating Japanese Gardens Orthos All About Gardening

All About Creating Japanese Gardens Orthos All About Gardening

Transport the serenity and beauty of a japanese garden to your yard.Shows how anyone, even novice gardeners, can achieve the aesthetics and sensibility of this ancient practice.Five basic japanese garden types, presented through lush photography and clear text, bring to life key design principles.Use elements such as stepping stones, paths, waterfalls, streams, ponds, fences and enclosures to create a restful retreat.Dimensions (L x W x H):10.9 x 8.2 x 0.27

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star horrific onslaught of japanese gardens
This book is terrible beginning with the picture on the cover. An ersatz Japanese bridge, mirrored balls, plants in plastic and cracked pottery saucers, vegetal mess of a pond. What has this got to do with Japanese gardening? It goes downhill from there. All the worst Western interpretaions of “Oriental” gardens is found within. Beware.

5 Stars Book great, sticker bad
Seller applied an inventory control sticker to front of book. This sticker used an adhesive that was very difficult to remove; required GooGone. Suggest change stickers, use one that doesn’t damage front of book. After sticker was removed, book proved to be factual with great illustrations.

5 Stars Build Your Japanese Garden and spent your free time golfing
I bought serveral books about creating Japanese gardens. This book by far the best one that I had. I built a Japanese style Rock Garden so I don’t have to mow my lawn. My back yard is built based on some of the pictures and tips I read from this book. The fun part is that you put in your hard work and built the garden you wanted which pays off when your guests give you thumb up. I spent about $5000 on the materials and hours of my own labor on the project. Now I can spent my weekend golfing instead of mowing my lawn. Ouch! My back still hurting from all the hardwork.

5 Stars Good for beginners
The book is easy to read and explains the whole concept of Japanese gardening. I learned with it and will be using it to plan my Japanese garden. Very pleased customer!

5 Stars For inspiration, start here
I’ve always wanted to have a Japanese Garden but never got around to doing it. I picked up this book at the library and, WOW, it has really inspired me! Not only am I now drafting up plans to turn a corner of my yard into a Japanese Garden but I showed it to a neighbor and he’s thinking of making his backyard into something like the courtyard garden on page 20. I’ll probably get a library of books on Japanese Gardening but this book will be the first one I’ll buy.

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Home Landscaping Midwest Region Including Southern Canada

Home Landscaping Midwest Region Including Southern Canada

Midwest Region Home Landscaping Book Including Southern Canada, Created By Landscape Professionals In The Midwest Region, This Book Contains More Than 40 Designs Covering Over 200 Plants With Proven Performance, Provides Detailed Instructions For Projects Such As Paths, Patios, Ponds & Arbors, Over 400 Photos & Drawings.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Great for planning a seasonal garden!
I’m no expert on landscaping, so it is nice to have a book that gives the reader some great ideas for a full eye-popping visual. Best of all, these are all plants that can be found in the midwest region. I like that many of the plant layouts are seasonal, helping to create different gardens for variations of season and sunlight. There’s also a few tips on creating pathways and tresses. There is an updated version, but it doesn’t differ from this book, it only adds a new section that is really not needed.

5 Stars Home landscaping book review
This was a very helpful book - straightforward and practical ideas for plantings around my house & yard. It included planting layout diagrams, plant list and sketches of what things might look like during different seasons.

5 Stars Excellent resource for Ohio gardening
This book is a tremendous resource for landscaping in the midwest. It provides great ideas for landscaping for different seasons, conditions, and locations. Most of the recommended varieties of plants are easy to find at your local nursery which has always been a problem with other books I have used. The pictures and drawings really provide extreme value when trying to picture how plants will look together. It has already given me enumerous great ideas and suggestions.

4 Stars Good ideas for Michigan landscaping
This book is a good source for midwest-specific plantings and landscape ideas. I found I didn’t have to look up the growing zones of plants I found interesting, wondering “Would this plant grow well around here?”

I also enjoy the overall friendly tone of the text. Some other books of this type that I own are written in a stuffy, almost highbrow manner.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen more of in this book is more actual photographs of the landscapes. There are many photos of the featured plants, but the book relies heavily on artwork for the landscape design images.

5 Stars An excellent resource!
A big problem I’ve had with gardening books is that they so often cover areas with different climates (such as the wet Pacific Northwest) than that which I have to face here in the American Midwest. This book, however, has shown itself to be an excellent resource!

It starts out with a portfolio of 23 designs, giving the reader excellent advice on appearance and what plants to use, complete with color pictures, and a sample graph paper design. After that, it has step-by-step instructions (again with great color illustrations) on building projects, such as sidewalks, walls, patios and so much more. The final part of the book is a series of plant profiles that looks at garden plants and their needs.

So, just to make everything perfectly clear, I loved this book, and highly recommend it to every gardener in the American Midwest!

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Home Landscaping Northeast Region Including Southeast Canada Home Landscaping

Home Landscaping Northeast Region Including Southeast Canada Home Landscaping

Including Southeast Canada Book, Detailed Descriptions Of Over 200 Plants Used In The Designs, Plus Advise On Their Selections & Care, Step-By-Step Instructions For Projects, Such As Paths, Patios, Walls, Fences, Trellises, Arbors, & Small Ponds.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Love this book!!
I have so many landscaping books that I never opened again after the first week I bought them. This is not one of those books. It’s by far so much better than most of the other ones out there. It’s well organized for info, and the plans are numerous and easy to follow. Not just for beginners. a really great book!

5 Stars Curb appeal made easy
It’s great the way these books are customized for each individual climate area here in the U.S. Saves a lot of wasted planning with the wrong plants and materials.

5 Stars One of my favorites
I recently became interested in gardening (now that I have a yard in which I can plant). This is one of my favorite books on gardening and landscaping. Great resource for those of us living in the northeast. Full of wonderful photos, explanations and illustrations. It gives many ideas for addressing certain areas of your yard (i.e. front entryway, patio, rock wall). Explanations are excellent; I learned a great deal from this book. Very well written. Highly recommended.

5 Stars Have my own and now purchasing for a neighbor!!
A neighbor showed me her copy and I had to get one for myself. Great layouts, great plant selections, this book offers great ideas and variations and is FULL of information! I showed another neighbor the garden I am planning and now I’m buying her a copy as well. We are going to have a GREAT looking street!!

5 Stars This book is wonderful
Home Landscaping: Northeast Region is a very informative book filled with beautiful photos. I don’t think I will need another book while doing our landscape planning. Landscaping designs, expected sizes of plants and trees and shrubs, different colors and species, how to’s, this book will cover all your landscaping needs if you live in new england.

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