A beautiful landscape reflects well on your house, making it a  welcome part of a  neighborhood or native terrain. And it  dramatically increases your home's value. Landscaping also makes your house and yard more useful and better able to complement your family's lifestyle. Trees shade your home to reduce energy use. Thorny shrubs deter prowlers. Lawns reduce dust from bare ground and give children the perfect play area. Patios and decks are great for entertaining. And a vegetable garden can yield fresh, delicious salads to eat on that patio or deck. Landscaping for Dummies has everything you need to turn the little patch of earth you call your own into a personal paradise. Whether you've waited for the day to have property to landscape, you'd never given it a second thought until you had to, or you want to improve on an existing landscape, this book offers a clearly written wealth of knowledge on: Designs Fences, walls, gates, and paths Decks, patios, and outdoor rooms Trees Shrubs and vines Ground cover From the basic principles of landscape design, to all the ins and outs of hillsides, balcony gardens, and water gardens, this book will show you how to: Think like a designer Dream up the right landscape for your family's needs Increase your home's resale value Conserve energy Deal with contractors, nurseries, and hardware suppliers Create an edible landscape Full of helpful problem-solvers for all kinds of landscapes, Landscaping for Dummies also features sample plans, "theme" landscape ideas, and a brilliant color photo section to inspire the imagination. Accessible and informative to both beginner and expert landscapers, this is the complete guide to creating the yard you've always wanted.