I completely understand why the subject of sustainable landscaping isn't splashed over the media. Unlike Madonna's marital status or how much Paris Hilton's new dog cost, it's not something the general populace craves. No one is braving water cannons to protest people who wash down driveways. And who's losing sleep over the out-of-control non-native plants that gradually displacing native vegetation in the wild?
Well, if there's one person who ignites people's passions about sustainable landscaping, it's Owen Dell. [Required Disclosure - Owen and I are buddies and co-hosts of a sustainable landscaping TV show. We've also spent countless Wednesday nights in our "Billy and Owen Take Over The World" sessions, plotting how to proselytize the masses and convince them to come into the light of sustainable landscaping. So, I might be a bit prejudiced in this review. But he's a mensch and really does deserve the mounds of praise I'm about to bury him in.]
I think Owen's book is very important. It needs to be read, embraced and acted upon by many, many people. Is there any better way to reach the knowledge-hungry masses than with one of those books with the black and yellow cover, and the iconic image of a strange guy with a buzz cut and triangular head? I'm talking about "Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies."
What I've always liked about Dummies books is that they're written by and for really smart people (or those who are about to be much smarter for having read the book). Their authors anticipate what a reader needs to know and gives it to them in a delightful package with all the fat trimmed off. That's just what Owen did in this book.
The blurb at the publisher's website (Wiley Publishing, Inc) briefly describes the content as a "hands-on, how-to instruction for realizing the benefits of a sustainable landscape, from selecting sustainable hardscape materials to installing a rain-water catchment system to choosing native plants." I'm not sure this rather flat description alone will get people on their feet and into the street, so let me expand just a tad.
The book starts by making sure we know how the word "sustainable" fits with landscaping. It's patently simple, Owen tells us--strive for a garden that acts as a natural system, needing little help from you once it's up and running. By the time you're done with this section of the book you'll smack your forehead and mutter "of course" because he makes it seem so obvious.
Onward the author forges, praising the virtues of good design, working safely, and throwing in some tricks the pros use. There's a strong emphasis on managing water, the most precious resource for me, located here in southern California. But climate change is demonstrating that water shortages aren't just about the southwestern states, so all pay heed. Owen also tackles the complex subject of hardscape (all the stuff in a landscape that isn't plants), showing how elegant spaces can be created with earth-friendly materials and by pulling discarded materials from waste stream and put it back to use.
Of course there's lots of information about plants starting with the fundamental idea that plants aren't just for decoration--they can DO something, like provide habitat for birds, reduce energy consumption and feed your family. The greenery section even zooms in on ways to make container gardening more sustainable.
I could go on, but I'm running out of space--just get the book.
Billy Goodnick
Landscape Architect
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