Landscape Makeover Book: How to Bring New Life to an Old Yard

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Is your garden reminiscent of a classic grande dame in need of some extra TLC? For the yard version of cosmetic surgery, turn to The Landscape Makeover Book, a helpful manual full of step-by-step photos, planning guides, and practical suggestions. Covering projects both big and small, this guide shows you how to add a pool or patio, prune generations-old shrubs for increased health and vigor, and top off that pesky tree that makes your gutters overflow every October. Have an unknown vine taking over the backyard? Useful charts will help you to identify those pesky plants and learn to use their low-maintenance talents to your advantage--or get rid of them entirely. Plenty of glossy photographs add a designer's touch to the down-and-dirty detail in these pages, but in general, those looking specifically for design inspiration will need to look elsewhere. There are only two types of classic garden design mentioned, Colonial and Victorian, but the authors do provide extensive help in priority setting and planning. While it may seem obvious to not reseed the lawn before adding a walkway, haven't we all found ourselves in similar situations with home-improvement projects? The section on reshaping beds is particularly useful, with plenty of attention given to individual plant rejuvenation and precise edge trimming. For those with an empty lot of dirt and grass, you'll need information other than what this book dishes out. But if you're facing an overgrown garden that looks like it really may have been a showstopper at one point, this is the guide that will help you in staging a glorious comeback. --Jill Lightner


From Publishers Weekly
Advocating the sensible and imaginative use of existing landscape elements to "reshape the character" of the yard, gardener von Trapp assesses plants to determine which are "keepers," "movers" or "composters." Priority lists and leading questions help the reader to see his or her yard with a fresh perspective and move easily into the planning phase. Von Trapp then introduces the aerobic exercise--cleaning up a wildwood (cutting trees, removing stumps, dealing with invasive poison ivy), reshaping the land (swales for water drainage) or reshaping beds (widening and curving the foundation beds to accommodate layers of plantings)--necessary for the makeover. The book centers on pruning as the most basic renovation that can yield dramatic change, but there's plenty of specific counsel on "hardscape" treatments such as bleaching a moldy deck, renovating a thinning lawn, refacing a concrete stoop with bluestone, refashioning narrow walkways, adding a pool and finishing the new look with lighting. This inviting, comprehensive guide will embolden new owners of old homes. 185 color photos. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Since the median age of the American home is 30 years, many home landscapes need updating. Von Trapp (Landscaping from the Ground Up), a professional landscape designer and horticulturist, was prompted by her experiences in revitalizing her own home's aging landscape to write a book guiding homeowners step by step through a landscape makeover. Helpful checklists are included for both the planning and execution phases. Beautiful color photos and black-and-white line drawings, along with clear directions for do-it-yourself projects, make this a practical guide for bringing new life to a past-mature yard. Buchanan, a botanist, horticulturist, author of more than 20 books, and contributor to Country Living Gardener, also uses her own home as a showcase for her work. Unlike von Trapp, who focuses on rejuvenating older landscapes and solving common home landscaping problems, Buchanan offers a comprehensive treatment of landscape design, emphasizing designing with plants and including extensive information about choosing and caring for plants, trees, shrubs, vines, and ground covers. Her book, a companion volume to Taylor's Master Guide to Gardening (Houghton, 1994), is a landmark work destined to become a classic. The text is authoritative, but both the language and the examples are down-to-earth. Color photographs, line drawings, plant lists for special purposes, and checklists for projects such as making and using compost enhance this title. Practical yet challenging, both titles will help homeowners to improve their outdoor living environment, add value to their homes, and increase their pleasure in their yards. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.-Nancy Myers, Univ. of South Dakota Lib., Vermillion Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Von Trapp suggests that instead of tearing up a garden and starting over, it would be more efficient to renovate the existing landscape. With that in mind, she gives detailed instructions on creating a compost pile (from those plants that get a thumbs-down); planning the yard and garden; removing trees and unwanted plants; creating a drainage system; renovating a lawn; shaping and planting flower beds; pruning; transplanting; renovating stoops and steps; designing and building walkways, patios, decks, and pools; and installing lighting. This useful handbook contains 185 color photographs and 50 black-and-white line drawings. George Cohen


Book Description
The median age of the American home is 30 years. Consequently, many homeowners do not enjoy a perfect yard: the landscape may be overgrown or in need of a facelift. Professional landscaper Sara Jane von Trapp comes to the rescue with an illustrated guide to revamping an old yard without spending a fortune. She covers both overall design possibilities and areas of concern - entries, walkways, decks, lighting, plantings, and lawns - with specific instructions, and also helps readers determine when professional help is needed.


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Since the median age of the American home is 30 years, many home landscapes need updating. Von Trapp (Landscaping from the Ground Up), a professional landscape designer and horticulturist, was prompted by her experiences in revitalizing her own home's aging landscape to write a book guiding homeowners step by step through a landscape makeover. Helpful checklists are included for both the planning and execution phases. Beautiful color photos and black-and-white line drawings, along with clear directions for do-it-yourself projects, make this a practical guide for bringing new life to a past-mature yard. Buchanan, a botanist, horticulturist, author of more than 20 books, and contributor to Country Living Gardener, also uses her own home as a showcase for her work. Unlike von Trapp, who focuses on rejuvenating older landscapes and solving common home landscaping problems, Buchanan offers a comprehensive treatment of landscape design, emphasizing designing with plants and including extensive information about choosing and caring for plants, trees, shrubs, vines, and ground covers. Her book, a companion volume to Taylor's Master Guide to Gardening (Houghton, 1994), is a landmark work destined to become a classic. The text is authoritative, but both the language and the examples are down-to-earth. Color photographs, line drawings, plant lists for special purposes, and checklists for projects such as making and using compost enhance this title. Practical yet challenging, both titles will help homeowners to improve their outdoor living environment, add value to their homes, and increase their pleasure in their yards. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.--Nancy Myers, Univ. ofSouth Dakota Lib., Vermillion Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\


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