Roof Gardens: History, Design, and Construction (Norton Books for Architects & Designers) Review

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(More customer reviews)Greenroofs.com inaugurates our new Recommended Readings column with this highly informative reference standard for roof garden aficionados and design professionals alike. While Roof Gardens is clearly focused on the more traditional concept and practice of creating aesthetically pleasing garden space on flat roofs, Mr. Osmundson does address greenroof technology and the industry's advances in the field. In particular, the German market is credited for testing and developing highly effective yet lightweight greenroof components and systems, and case studies are presented.
The veteran landscape architect shares his practical expertise of roof garden design, research and travel, and the richly illustrated hardcover book is full of photos, plans and construction details of sixty projects in North America, Europe, Australia and Japan. Roof Gardens also offers a historical perspective and advice on site considerations, design elements, maintenance, and appendices of useful data and sources of supply and information.
Rooftop landscape architecture promises to greatly beautify our environment by greening our buildings. We highly recommend this easy to understand, invaluable reference for anyone interested learning about in-depth roof garden design and construction, from homeowner to city planner.

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In the first comprehensive study published in English, respectedlandscape architect Theodore Osmundson provides the practicalinformation professionals need to be able to include well-designed andwell-constructed roof gardens in their projects.
Roof Gardens covers site considerations, construction, design elements, and maintenance, as well as useful data and sources of supply and information. It presents a wealth of material, including typical sections and details of raised planters, walls, paving, drainage, and lighting. It also discusses planting soils and root-proofing, reviews useful new construction techniques-largely unknown in the United States-and offers a richly illustrated tour of roof gardens around the world and through history. 100 in color pages

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Northwest Home Landscaping, 3rd edition Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is all right if you are looking for ideas of plant layouts or how to devise a landscape setup for a very specific area of your property. Scenarios are shown in sketch format in, for example, front yards, big backyards, yards with slopes, places where you want to screen things (air conditioner units, trash cans). After each scenario sketch, real photographs of the suggested plants are shown, along with a brief descirption of the plant (height, width, Latin and English names, sun or shade, etc.) A small section at the end is devoted to the mechanics of accomplishing hardscape features such as retaining walls, patios, and arbors.
The book seems like it would be a good resource if you were writing a term paper, but it seems too shallow for a serious relandscape job. Many of the suggested plants are repeated in multiple scenarios, so there is not a very large variety of plants. It is also very skimpy on flowers, focusing mostly on shrubs with a few trees and groundcovers. I don't think I'd buy this book if there'd been a chance to see it before buying, but now that I have it, we'll keep it.

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Northwest Home Landscaping: Including Western British Columbia is an updated, expanded edition of Creative Homeowner's award-winning best seller on regional landscaping. Readers will find inspiring ideas for making the home landscape more attractive and functional. The 48 featured designs are created by landscape professionals from the region and use more than 200 plants that thrive in the area. Detailed instructions for projects such as paths, patios, ponds, and arbors are also included. Over 420 full-color photos and paintings are complemented by easy, step-by-step instuctions that make Northwest Home Landscaping a must-have for any Northwestern homeowner.* Over 1,000,000 copies of the Regional Home Landscaping series sold to date* Provides landscape designs created by landscape professionals in the region* Shows the whole range of tasks, from plant selection and care to building walks, walls, fences, and trellises* Complete descriptions of the approximately 200 plants employed in the designs including hardiness zones; watering, soil, and sunlight needs; propagation information; blooming season; height; width; plus unusual tidbits* Over 420 full-color photos and paintings are complemented by easy step-by-step instructions* Full cross-referenced index and a glossary

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Mid-Atlantic Home Landscaping, 3rd edition (English and English Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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This larger-format edition provides inspiring ideas for making the Mid-Atlantic home landscape more attractive and functional. Starting with the 200 best plants that thrive in the region, area landscape professionals created 46 outdoor design concepts that readers can work with. More than 430 color photographs and drawings complement the easy-to-follow instructions for caring for and installing plants, paths, patios, ponds, and arbors.States: DE, NY (Long Island only), MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV

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Southeast Home Landscaping, 3rd edition (English and English Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you don't want to rely on your own creativity for landscaping your property, you need to check out this book. It features 54 landscape designs covering almost any situation, like entryways, streetwalk plantings, corner gardens, slopes, shady areas, woodland gardens, passageways, gardens under trees, mailbox plantings, etc. Every design is beautifully drawn and lists every plant that is included. The plants can then be looked up in the plant directory in the back of the book for more detailed information. An installation guide gives detailed instructions and helpful illustrations on how to build patios, pathways, trellises, gates, ponds, retaining walls, and more. The book also features detailed sections on other landscaping issues such as preparing the soil for planting, buying plants, planting basics, caring for plants, pruning roses, training a vine on a support, and caring for perennials (complete with a list of deer resistant plants). Highly recommended!

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Southeast Home Landscaping, third edition, is a larger-format edition of Creative Homeowner's award-winning best seller on landscaping southeast-style. Readers will find inspiring ideas for making the home landscape more attractive and functional. The 54 featured designs are created by landscape professionals from the region and use more than 200 plants that thrive in the southeast. Detailed instructions for projects such as paths, patios, ponds, and arbors are also included. Over 450 full-color photos and paintings are complemented by easy, step-by-step instructions. The southeast will be in full bloom with Southeast Home Landscaping, third edition.States: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN

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Midwest Home Landscaping, 3rd edition (English and English Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)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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Midwest Home Landscaping, Including Southern Canada, third edition, shows how to beautify 23 common landscape situations, such as front and back entries, walkways, borders, slopes, and patios. Each situation is presented with a variation, for a total of 46 designs. In addition, 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.United States: IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, OH, WICanada: Ontario (southern)

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California Home Landscaping, 3rd edition (English and English Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently moved to Northern California and have been looking for a landscaping book that provides geographically suited plants, shrubs and perennials. This book provides ideas, alternatives for shady and sunny spots, planting graphs for annual growth and great arbor ideas. Well worth the price, packed full of ideas for the beginner and expert gardener. You won't be disappointed.

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Make a Californian home landscape more attractive and functional with California Home Landscaping, third edition. Like the other titles in this series, this book contains three parts: Design Portfolio, Guide to Installations, and Plant Portraits. In the "Design Portfolio" section, readers will find 48 designs created by landscape professionals in California. "Guide to Installations" explains how to install the plants, paths, patios, and arbors used in the designs. More than 200 of the best plants for the region are fully described in "Plant Portraits." Clearly written in a friendly style and with 450 color photographs and paintings, California Home Landscaping, third edition, provides everything Californians need to know to landscape like a pro.

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running a Winery Review

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(More customer reviews)At first, i thought the book was too negative, and actually discouraging to winery-ownership aspirations("You can make a small fortune in the wine business, provided you begin with a large one." HA HA). But as I read other books, I realized the author's purpose: There were just too many people gettin' into the "wine biz" for purely romantic reasons, without an ounce of outdoor/ag/technical/marketing knowledge. It's not hard to "love" wine; many people do. Neither is it hard to love fast cars, but I wouldn't think of operating a sports car dealership. And yes, from first-hand experience, it is VERY expensive to start up a winery. For anyone considering getting into the winery business, this book is worth buying even if only for the wonderful Appendix: an excellent collection of forms, worksheets & resources that every winery operator, or anyone thinking of owning a winery, should definitely include in their personal library.

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Making the dream a reality... For many people, owning and running a winery is a dream job. According to Wine Business Monthly, the number of wineries in the U.S. has jumped 26% in less than three years. To carry out this dream, one must understand that wine making involves both science and art. Starting a winery is just like starting any other business and requires planning and a deep understanding of the industry. In The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running a Winery, readers will learn: •How to put together a business plan •Different varieties of grapes and wines •How to lay out a floor plan and what equipment is needed •How to promote wines

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