California Home Landscaping Table of Contents About This BookAs Your Landscape Grows PORTFOLIO OF DESIGNS First Impressions* Make a pleasant passage to your front door A Foundation with Flair* Flowers and foliage create a front garden Up Front and Formal* Garden geometry transforms a small front yard An Eye-Catching Corner* Beautify a boundary with easy-care plants Streetwise and Stylish* Give your curbside strip a new look Landscape a Low Wall* A two-tier garden and patio replace a bland slope Beautify a Blank Wall* A vertical garden makes the most of a narrow site A Shady Hideaway* Build a cozy retreat in a corner of your yard An Outdoor "Living" Room* Patio and shady arbor provide open-air opportunities Splash Out* Make a water garden the focus of outdoor activities Garden in the Round* Create a planting with several attractive faces A Beginning Border* Flowers and a wall make a traditional design Back to Nature* Create a wooded retreat in your backyard A No-Mow Slope* A terraced planting transforms a steep site Under the Old Shade Tree* Create a cozy garden in a cool spot A Pleasant Passage* Reclaim a narrow side yard for a stroll garden Down to Eart* Harmonize your deck with its surroundings Gateway Garden* Arbor, fence, and plantings make a handsome entry Front-Door Makeover* Enhance your main entry in a weekend An Island Retreat* Create a freestanding patio garden An Entry Oasis* Extend a friendly desert welcome Backyard Makeover* Getting a lot out of a small, frost-free lot Poolside Pleasure* Plantings to enhance your swimming pool Planting in the Pines* Surround your woodland deck with flowering shrubs GUIDE TO INSTALLATION Organizing Your Project* Introducing the tasks involved in a landscape installation. How to organize them for best results. Clearing the Site* Removing turf, weeds, and other unwanted material. Water for Your Plants* Water-wise practices. Watering systems. Making Paths and Walkways* Choosing materials, preparing the base, installing edgings, laying the surface. Laying a Patio* Employing the same materials and techniques as for walks and paths. Ensuring proper drainage.
Installing a Pond* Siting, excavating, installing a flexible liner or fiberglass shell. Growing pond plants. Building a Retaining Wall* Laying out, excavating, and assembling a precast modular wall system and steps. Fences, Arbors, and Trellises* Wood selection, layout, post setting, basic construction. Plans for building the fences, trellises, and arbors shown in the Portfolio of Designs. Preparing the Soil for Planting* Digging and improving the soil. Edging for beds. Buying Plants* Where to go, what to look for, how to get the best quality and price.
The Planting Process* When to plant, steps in the planting process, spacing. Annuals as fillers. Planting Basics* Plants in containers, balled-and-burlapped plants, bare-root plants, ground covers, and bulbs. Basic Landscape Care* Mulches and fertilizers. Controlling weeds. Watering. Caring for Woody Plants* Basic pruning for trees, shrubs, vines, and roses. Making a hedge.
Caring for Perennials* Routine care, pruning, dividing. Problem Solving* Understanding common problems with animal and insect pests and diseases. Winter damage. PLANT PROFILES Descriptions of all the plants shown in the Portfolio of Designs, plus information on how to plant and care for them. Glossary Photo Credits Index.