Taylor's Master Guide to Landscaping
Developing your landscape is one of the pleasures of owning a home. It's an opportunity to surround yourself with beauty and provide for your comfort and convenience. In a well-designed yard, kids have room to play and adults have an attractive area in which to relax and enjoy the surroundings. Your guests find a safe, welcoming path to the front door, and you don't have to struggle to bring in the groceries and take out the trash.
TAYLOR'S MASTER GUIDE TO LANDSCAPING is a stunning and useful book on a subject that even experienced gardeners find intimidating. It is essential reading if you plan to do all or most of your own landscaping work, but it's equally important if you intend to hire the work out. Buchanan's description of what to expect from landscape and gardening professionals is an eye-opener that will save a lot of disappointment and a great many dollars.
In TAYLOR'S MASTER GUIDE TO LANDSCAPING, you will learn how to
- choose plants that will thrive in your climate and growing conditions
- avoid common mistakes with foundation plantings
- plan and plant for future growth
- create an outdoor living room
- design and build walks, paths, and steps
- create privacy with fences, walls, and hedges.
Separate chapters explain how to care for landscape plants -- trees, shrubs, vines, lawns, groundcovers, and perennials.
Taylor's Master Guide to Landscaping 4 out of 5
A great guide for those of us wanting to learn more about landscaping. It is plainly written so that anyone who wishes to start a new landscaping project will not feel overwhelming but empowered to tackle the job!
A big help. 5 out of 5
This book has helped me come up with a plan for the rough land that I have purchased with my new home.
It wont replace the landscape architect, but it comes close 5 out of 5
This is the most often used book I continually return to for landscaping reference and guidance. It's well written and will have you on the way to improving your landscape after the first read. One reviewer mentions Rita is opinionated. This is true. So you'll have to read around some of the opinions and decide for yourself what holds true for your property.
If you need just one landscaping book, I would highly recommend this book. It has a great balance of ideas, pics, & text. It is well structured and organized.
Most comprehensive text on planning a garden 5 out of 5
I admire Rita Buchanan's style.
In a time of the pre-digested, summarized 'Idiot's Guides', she addresses landscape design in a methodical and logical progression. The text doesn't get bogged down in species' names and planting plans, but instead opens our minds to the larger questions of overall goals and needs. As such, I have found this to be the perfect companion as I plan my garden, opening my mind to the wider possibilities that I hadn't considered.
Having said that, you might be disappointed if you are looking for a book to 'dip into' for rapid solutions. I have found this book more rewarding if you have 30 minutes to spare with a comfy chair and cup of coffee, rather than just a 3 minute break.
Comprehensive and well designed; sometimes too opinionated 4 out of 5
The book is what its title says and that's good - a master guide to landscaping. While I respect Ms. Buchanan's opinions on matters of landscaping since she obviously is versed enough to complete this well done and comprehensive book, it seems to me that her opinions sometimes get in the way of common, useful, tried and true landscaping practices. Example: On page 229 she adamantly states, "...Disregard anyone who tells you to set hedge plants in a zigzag pattern...", yet the picture above depicts just that and, quite frankly, it's commonly recommended to do so. As a designer, I do use that technique for hedge planting because it creates a billowy effect and it's more visually interesting, in many instances. The point is, that statement is an opinion that may not be based on anything more than personal taste.
Having said that, it's an excellent and in-depth guide to the extensive field of landscaping and a very good book just to see what her educated opinions might be. Keep an open mind and refer also to other more task-specific books and expertise when faced with landscape challenges. This book certainly will entertain one with its views, many of them interesting and useful.
