Landscaping for Dummies

Rating:
Summary: Only an overview
Review: I found the book to be useful in terms of providing some overall ideas for what can be done to a landscape, but useless in terms of actually getting down to the business of landscaping.

For instance, the section about grass types lists 8 different grasses for my region, which is nice, but it doesn't give you any real way to compare and contrast those 8 types to choose which one you want. For some grasses it tells you if they are seed or sod, but it doesn't give that info for all the grasses. Same thing for shade or sun, disease resistance, etc... In the end I had to go to other sources to figure out which type of grass I wanted in my yard.

Same thing happened when picking shrubs. Pictures of different shrub types would have been helpful, but instead there were just basic descriptions that were hard to compare and contrast among the shrub types.

This book is very general and not that useful for people who are actually ready to start landscaping and need help making the decisions about what will go into their yard. I was pretty disapointed because I've had great luck with other For Dummies books.

Rating:
Summary: OKAY
Review: This book is okay for homeowners wanting easy landscaping to-do them selfs. If you are looking at starting a landscaping business, this is not the book for you. Over all it is Okay.

Rating:
Summary: Wasting money for dummies - buy this book from me
Review: You are just as likely to need the assistance of the above referenced title as you are to gain information from this book. It could be re-titled: "Gardening for Dummies" and possibly pass muster as a helpful guide. For landscaping - save your money and invest it in plantings. Most of the text is dedicated to construction projects (decks etc.) what plants are good for what purpose (height, width), and the value of good landscaping. Unfortunately the text discussing HOW to landscape effectively is breezed through with only the briefest nod to the MOST elemental concepts. A (with liberties taken) paraphrase," You will need dirt. Dirt is available at garden centers. Plants will not grow without it, so make sure you have some before you attempt to establish your plants." For any but the most significantly stupid, this book is useless for the purpose it alleges to serve. I would have given it a "0" star rating, but that isn't an option.

Rating:
Summary: Wasting money for dummies - buy this book from me
Review: You are just as likely to need the assistance of the above referenced title as you are to gain information from this book. It could be re-titled: "Gardening for Dummies" and possibly pass muster as a helpful guide. For landscaping - save your money and invest it in plantings. Most of the text is dedicated to construction projects (decks etc.) what plants are good for what purpose (height, width), and the value of good landscaping. Unfortunately the text discussing HOW to landscape effectively is breezed through with only the briefest nod to the MOST elemental concepts. A (with liberties taken) paraphrase," You will need dirt. Dirt is available at garden centers. Plants will not grow without it, so make sure you have some before you attempt to establish your plants." For any but the most significantly stupid, this book is useless for the purpose it alleges to serve. I would have given it a "0" star rating, but that isn't an option.