(Part 3) 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 was definitely thinking about hiding the drain pipes, one is for sump pump, the other is gutter.

If you were adventurous, you could connect the two...but I'd be leery of something clogging your sump drain. I would just leave it exposed and let the landscape mask it. I would probably paint it a brown color so it is less noticeable.

I like what you have done so far. It's low maintenance, looks nice and will get you started. There are several great lawn texts available - my personal favorite is on Southern Lawns, encompassing VA to Texas. However, if you are planting a cool season grass like fescue, the basic premise of lawn care is the same. Only the calendar shifts a bit.

No big deal on the loropetalum...I just want you to be sure you have dwarf. And you should also know - many times the advertised 'max height' on plant tags is understated. Full size loropetalum is advertised as 4 to 5 feet tall (at least on Monrovia tags). I have pulled them when they were unkempt and over 7. When they are happy, they are aggressive, and you end up pruning the buds/flowers out to keep them under control.

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.

Depending on where you live, there are some books called "Book Of lists" that does exactly that. They have different ones for different regions