Book Review: Owen E. Dell's witten the book on Sustainable Landscaping

Owen E. Dell is the affable wisecracking television host that you want for your landscaper. Fun and friendly and knowledgeable Owen gets the greening done with wit and righteousness. When he reached out for me to review his new book Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies from Wiley Publishing - I was pretty psyched - I figured this should be an easy read - I'll knock that out in an after noon...It's for Dummies right?? Well...the reading is straight forward but an afternoon... not so much, and here's why.
This book is written in the style and format of the "DUMMIES" series. That does make the content quick to access. It's broken into comprehensible chapters and headings that make finding information a quick scan. Reading is actually easier or perhaps I should say comprehension was easier for me because of these headings as a reminder of the topic at hand. The book weighs in at 364 pages. That's what gets us to spending some time with the book. Dell covers an overview of the basics of sustainable landscaping and and then guides you like a champion to helping make decisions about what is DIY and what is best left up to the pros.

Design guidance and aesthetic concerns are treated as a meditation with the help of sketching out ideas with a brush up on design principles and then more serious plotting of a plan. Water conservation, irrigation and drainage are a focus with great tips on how to use your landscape to harvest water. I felt aware of southern California's issues in this section of the book but water conservation is critical when doing any planning of a growing landscape.

A consideration of hardscape and the environment ran through site prep, exploration of hardscape elements, and thoughtful construction and maintenance issues. Plant materials from planting seeds to careing for trees and shrubs were discussed. Owen's auguments about organic pest control are interesting and sees the application of harsh chemical pesticides irrelevant and ineffective. Rather he supports natural predators and the application of horticultural vinegar.  Alternatives to traditional grass lawns are sorted and how to make a strategy to get  atypical designs placed in what might be an unfamiliar neighborhood or community. Owen's honest and forthright manner in discussing community perceptions and what may impede sustainable design is what makes this book a classic handyman and professional reference treasure chest.

Dell wraps things up with the strong perspective that sustainable landscaping is cost effective regardless of your sentiments or position on environmental impact. It's just less costly to do landscaping this way in the long run. He offers ten practical projects as a proof of the claim.

Reading the book took a bit longer than I expected because of the solid content and "secrets" Owen fearlessly offered. He is convincing in his arguments and factually based presentation. The author's style brings  reasoned  forthright clarity to a subject once considered the domain of hippies, dreamers, tree huggers and granola types. (LOL! In the olden days that's what we called them son - now we call them smart homeowners and profitable land curators.)  When it comes to the bottom line this is the best way to argue for sustainable design - it costs less over time to create and service an environmentally considerate landscape. Using ecological system services to support  landscaping efforts brings the cooperation of nature as a partner. Working with mother nature save's money in the long run.