Owen E. Dell is the owner of County Landscape and Design in Santa Barbara, California. He has nearly 40 years of experience designing and building beautiful, sustainable, and soul-satisfying residential and commercial landscapes.

• Introduction 1Part I: Sustainable Landscaping: The Basics 7Chapter 1: Landscaping the Sustainable Way 9Chapter 2: Making Good Decisions about What to Include in Your Landscape 23Chapter 3: Deciding Whether to Do It Yourself or Call in the Pros 39Part II: Good Design: The Key to Sustainable Landscaping 51Chapter 4: Getting Better Acquainted with Your Property 53Chapter 5: Brushing Up on Design Basics 69Chapter 6: Plotting Your Sustainable Landscape 83Part III: Water, Water, Everywhere: Water-Conserving Irrigation and Drainage 103Chapter 7: Surveying Your Watering Options 105Chapter 8: The Nuts and Bolts of Water Harvesting, Irrigation, and Drainage 121Chapter 9: Managing Water: The Other Half of the Irrigation Equation 145Chapter 10: Maintaining Water-Harvesting and Irrigation Systems 155Part IV: Hardscaping Made Easy: Creating Awesome Features without Wrecking the Environment 163Chapter 11: Preparing Your Site 165Chapter 12: Exploring Basic Hardscape Elements and Outdoor Rooms 173Chapter 13: Spicing Up Your Hardscape with Other Fun and Functional Elements 193Chapter 14: Sustainable Hardscape Construction 205Chapter 15: Hardscape Maintenance 223Part V: Great Greenery for a Green Garden 231Chapter 16: Planting the Seed: Sustainable Plant Basics 233Chapter 17: Introducing Beneficial Trees and Shrubs to Your Landscape 257Chapter 18: Enhancing Your Landscape’s Sustainability with Smaller Plants 269Chapter 19: Exploring Lower Impact Lawns and Sustainable Lawn Alternatives 289Chapter 20: Examining the Essentials of Sustainable Garden Care 299Chapter 21: Pest and Disease Control the Sustainable Way 313Chapter 22: Opting for Organic Lawn Care 321Part VI: The Part of Tens 333Chapter 23: Ten Projects That Pay You and the Environment Back Big Time 335Chapter 24: Ten Totally Nonsustainable Landscaping Mistakes and How to Avoid Them 339Appendix: Planning for Special Situations 345Index 351