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The Garden House (Devon, England)

The destinations are beginning to blur but looking at the tour guide booklet, I see that we are now in Plymouth. Today, we visited two gardens designed by Keith Wiley.  The first is The Garden House , where Wiley worked as Head Gardener for 25 years (from 1978-2003). The 10-acre estate was purchased in the 1940s by former Eton schoolmaster Lionel Fortescue and his wife Katherine. It was formerly home to the  vicars of Buckland Monachronum. The Fortescue's renovated the gardens and ran a market garden business and raised cattle.  The remains of some of the original buildings in the vicarage still stand in the garden and serve as a romantic backdrop in the Walled Garden - I loved the way they had massed ferns together. Just stunning! Surrounding the walled garden and venturing out away from the house are more naturalistic plantings  - Today, the head gardener is Nick Haworth, who was previously head gardener at Greenway , which we visited earlier.  Keith Wiley lef...
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Book review and giveaway - Sustainable Landscaping

{{{ The Random Number Generator chose "10" which means the winner is Catherine at A Gardener In Progress. Thanks to everyone who entered!}}}

"Sustainable" is a popular term in gardening circles these days. What exactly does it mean? More or less, it refers to the creation and maintenance of a landscape that is in balance with the local climate and doesn't use resources like fertilizers and pesticides and most importantly, conserves water.

As much as I hate the title, the "For Dummies" series of books (on every topic imaginable) provides excellent information in a user-friendly format. Owen Dell is an award-winning, internationally admired landscape architect, author and educator. He is the principal of Owen Dell & Associates in Santa Barbara, which specializes in sustainable landscape architectural services. In this book, he provides a wealth of information on the topic including:

* How to plan a sustainable landscape and what factors to consider
* Water conservation - the various types of systems available to the home gardener and the nuts and bolts of water harvesting, irrigation and drainage
* Hardscaping - planning, utilizing and maintenance
* Plant choices - beneficial trees, shrubs and smaller plants to consider for your landscape
* Lawns - minimizing the impact of the lawn and reducing its size
* Garden care - pruning, fertilizing and controlling pests the sustainable way
* 10 Projects that pay you and the environment back
* 10 non sustainable landscaping mistakes and how to avoid them

The book is full of helpful tips, illustrations, garden plans and maps to help you master the art of a sustainable landscape!

Win A Copy

To enter, reply to this post (include your e-mail address). I will use a random number generator to select one winner Friday, March 11 at 8pm CST.

{{{This book was sent to me for review by the author. I did not pay for the book or receive compensation for my review}}}

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. DarlaMarch 7, 2011 at 9:38 AM

    It was very nice of your to review the book...never cared much for the "For Dummies" part of these books either. rusdar at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. LKTMarch 7, 2011 at 9:45 AM

    Sign me up.

    toepferblue at gmail

    ReplyDelete
  3. ConnorMarch 7, 2011 at 11:19 AM

    Sounds like a great book for every gardener.
    Connorball@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. LonaMarch 7, 2011 at 1:29 PM

    The book sounds like it has some chapters that would be very interesting. Now I am just the opposite, if it says for "Dummies" I usually think maybe I can make some sense of the topic. LOL!
    ldawns1@hocking.net

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  5. debsgardenMarch 7, 2011 at 4:00 PM

    Your great book review has me wanting a copy! I confess I entered the computer world by way of the Dummies books! delliott@charter.net

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMarch 7, 2011 at 4:36 PM

    I feel my middle name is dummy some times.
    marycar@netspeednow.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. CathyMarch 7, 2011 at 4:55 PM

    Sounds like a great book. jjboys@aol.com

    PS I love your website!

    ReplyDelete
  8. LesMarch 7, 2011 at 5:55 PM

    I don't like the "dummies" titles as well, but at that title lets you know what you can expect from the series.

    les (morehiways at cox dot net)

    ReplyDelete
  9. serial tillerMarch 7, 2011 at 6:59 PM

    I guess I've been dabbling in "sustainable" landscaping and didn't even know it! LOL sign me up> scooterjen@tds.net

    ReplyDelete
  10. Catherine@AGardenerinProgressMarch 7, 2011 at 7:44 PM

    Sounds like a good book.
    gardenerprogress@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  11. jackieMarch 8, 2011 at 5:31 AM

    Oh, i SO want this book. I thought I'd read just about everything on Sustainable gardening, guess not! gammon7(at)aol.com

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  12. GailMarch 8, 2011 at 6:18 AM

    Sign me up Phillip~I want to learn more about sustainability and a 'dummie' book will be perfect for me! gailtilesatgmal.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sue MeadowsMarch 8, 2011 at 9:17 PM

    I needed therapy this evening after digging up a 150 year old poison ivy attached to a White Oak, in the rain and wind, so I thought about your web site to encourage me. A free book about landscaping would make me very happy, and you know I need help! Be sure to let me know when your garden is peaking this Spring so I can stand amazed. You are truly gifted.

    ReplyDelete
  14. MichelleMarch 9, 2011 at 2:19 PM

    I would love to win this book! kcmichellew at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Chandramouli SMarch 10, 2011 at 12:40 AM

    I love certain Dummies books myself. Good find!

    ReplyDelete
  16. EveMarch 10, 2011 at 4:44 AM

    I'm on the road to getting myself more self-sufficient Phillip and this book sounds like a great resource. Glad I got here in time!
    esweat1@gmail

    ReplyDelete
  17. SpiderjohnMarch 11, 2011 at 7:09 AM

    I am going through a Master Gardener program right now and this book would probably be a helpful resource. bwebb4@frontier.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. AnonymousMarch 11, 2011 at 7:19 AM

    Enjoy your blog, great information. Please sign me up for the drawing. bigskye714 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  19. LolaMarch 11, 2011 at 6:39 PM

    Too late for me but I enjoy your blog. May not comment but do read.

    ReplyDelete

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