(Part 2) Top products from r/landscaping

The plantsman's bible is Dirr's Manual. It has a very horticultural slant, but is invaluable for someone truly dedicated to plants. It is 1300 pages of comprehensive plant knowledge and will tell you exactly how to germinate seeds of Trochodendron aralioides. The problem for most is that it has no pictures - only line drawings of leaf shapes. This is probably not the book you need, but is a tremendous resource for someone with a thirst for knowledge.

http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Woody-Landscape-Plants-Characteristics/dp/1588748685/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1408405815&sr=8-4&keywords=dirr%27s+encyclopedia+of+trees+and+shrubs

My favorite plant book for casual reading is Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs. It has color photos of seemingly every tree and shrub in existence, as well as discussions of their landscape value.

http://www.amazon.com/Dirrs-Encyclopedia-Trees-Shrubs-Michael/dp/0881929018/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408405815&sr=8-1&keywords=dirr%27s+encyclopedia+of+trees+and+shrubs

When I was a budding plantsman, my father gave me a very useful book which I still refer to today. This National Arboretum publication gives a broad overview of all different types of plants(vines, annuals, perennials, evergreens, aquatic plants, shade trees, etc) and is a great way to come up with ideas of what to plant.

http://www.amazon.com/National-Arboretum-Outstanding-Garden-Plants/dp/0671669575

If you are more interested in just selecting plants online, Monrovia has an excellent website that lets you narrow down plants by requirements.

http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/

I would really suggest that you save your money, don't buy a shelf of books, and instead patronize your local public library at first.

The trouble with landscaping how-to books is that they can tend to be slightly biased, if only unconsciously, towards a particular style of landscaping. Very few landscapers work in all idioms, everyone has their own personal, if subconscious, preferences. One likes the Japanese minimalist look, another prefers Prairie Style, this one adores classic Gertrude Jekyll cottage gardens, and that one is only comfortable with native plants.

It's therefore difficult to find a single book that is truly comprehensive. A book is only going to give you that particular author's ideas about landscaping, and if he's never heard of, or doesn't practice, things like, say, native plants, xeriscaping and gray water use, or using vegetables in the front yard, and if his is the only book you read, you'll never hear about them.

And buying an entire shelf of books is expensive.

So what I'd do (and what I did, ages ago) is check out and read everything the library has on their shelves. That's an excellent way to get a good overview.

As for the nuts and bolts of landscaping, it's just gardening. You don't need a book on "landscape gardening", you just need a book on gardening.

This was my bible for a long time. My daughter has it now. Check used bookstores, it's worth it.
http://www.amazon.com/Better-Homes-Gardens-Complete-Gardening/dp/0696025566

This is a decent upgrade.
http://www.amazon.com/Better-Homes-Gardens-Gardening-Simple/dp/0470638540/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408298853&sr=1-1&keywords=better+homes+gardens+gardening

There are other resources on the web. The National Gardening Association put out an awesome monthly magazine during the 1980s and 90s, I am still desolate that they stopped. But they do have a good website.

http://www.garden.org/

If you're in the U.S., you can contact your local university extension office. It's their federally mandated, taxpayer-funded job to help homeowners with garden problems. They will have planting guides, charts, brochures, and tons of free advice. Find your office here. Or you can Google "[city or county] university extension office master gardener" and look around for a phone number or email.

Plant a hedge with an arched gate to separate the utility part of the garden from the play and entertaining part. The hedge would extend from the corner where the tree is straight across to the other side, creating two garden rooms: a rectangular one close to the house, and an irregularly shaped garden room containing the vegetable beds, the relocated shed and your favorite fruit tree. Create a path to the new kitchen garden with flagstones in gravel.

A good book for gardens being designed from scratch (available used on Amazon):https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Garden-Designer-Tim-Newbury/dp/0600619877

Mostly they are there so you don't have an ungodly water bill. If you do want grass in the yard I'd suggest picking up a Palo Verde at a nursery. I wouldn't say I'm anti grass but I am for sure anti-new construction poorly thought out giant yard with no shade. There are a ton of plants that are hardy that work well in the natural soil of the Tularosa and nearby areas. If you're interested in landscaping your yard you may want to check out this book [Native Landscaping from El Paso to LA] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0809225115/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_K6p-Bb4RJXT7Z)

The shrubs and trees you have are all sheared evergreens. They look pretty good all year-around, but they're not my style. If you like that look, feel free to shear them back. Here's the book that I used when I started pruning:

http://www.amazon.com/Orthos-All-About-Pruning-Ortho/dp/0897214293

Here's a small garden design book you might find useful:

https://www.amazon.com/Small-Garden-Design-Bible-Newbury/dp/0600616495/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502279218&sr=8-1&keywords=small+garden+design+bible


You can find your growing zone here:http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/


You can find your annual rainfall by looking on your county website.

You should know (or it's easy to find out) which direction the front of the house faces.

Information like this is crucial to understanding what kinds of plants you can grow in your yard.

I’m not saying it’s going to kill the grass, and it can’t look nice. I’m just saying, ideally, there should be rotation for the health of the lawn. I’m not making it up man, a quick google search, or an in depth investigation will provide some sound evidence. Also if it’s a career, I’d highly recommend a few books..

https://www.amazon.com/Scotts-Lawns-Your-Guide-Beautiful/dp/0696229692

This ones actually great to keep in the truck

I bought this book for about $6 as an intro to hardscaping. It's by Don Engebretson of renegadegardener.com, who does amazing stonework in addition to having one of the most informative websites for beginning landscapers. The book is a good introduction to stonework and covers both mortared and dry laid walls.

Thanks mate!
Walk Maker DIY Concrete Molds Reusable Plastic Path Maker for Lawn Yard Garden https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R4KTYGR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bj5lDbQ6BY3QG

I got two molds to work in tandem, did it all in about a week/4hr a day

I used
https://www.lowes.com/pd/QUIKRETE-80-lb-High-Strength-Concrete-Mix/3006075
Sorry I can’t seem to find the diy that was used.