Desert Landscaping: How to Start and Maintain a Healthy Landscape in the Southwest

by George Brookbank

George Brookbank has distilled nearly twenty years' experience—as an extension agent in urban horticulture with the University of Arizona—into a practical book that tells how to avoid problems with desert landscaping before they occur and how to correct those that do. In the first part, "How to Start and Maintain a Desert Landscape," he provides 28 easy-to-use chapters that address concerns ranging from how to start a wildflower garden to how to cope with Texas root rot. In Part Two, "A Month-By-Month Maintenance Guide," he offers a handy almanac that tells what to do and what to watch out for each month of the year, with cross-references to the chapters in Part One. Homeowners who maintain their own landscape will find in this book ways to make the work more satisfying and productive, while those who hire landscape contractors can make sure the work is done effectively and economically. "You'll find all kinds of books on desert landscape design and materials, irrigation system and design, and landscape installation," says Brookbank. "So far as I know, however, this is the only book that tells you what to do with what you've got and how to keep it growing."

CONTENTS

Part 1 - How to Start and Maintain a Desert Landscape
1. Desert How They Are "Different"
2. Plants Are Like They're Not Alike
3. Use Arid-Land Plants to Save Water
4. How to Irrigate in the Desert
5. How to Design and Install a Drip Irrigation System
6. Soils and Their Improvement How to Plant in the Desert
7. Soils and Their Improvement How to Use Fertilizers
8. What to Do When Things Go A Troubleshooter's Guide
9. How to Avoid—and Repair—Frost Damage
10. How to Control "Weeds"
11. Palo Verde Borer What to Do
12. How to Avoid Texas Root Rot
13. When You Move Into an Empty House
14. What to Do About Roots in Drains
15. How to Dig Up Plants and Move Them
16. How to Have Flower Bed Color All Year
17. Landscape Gardening with Containers
18. Starting Wildflowers
19. Starting a Lawn
20. Making and Keeping a Good Hedge
21. Pruning Trees and Shrubs
22. Palm Tree Care
23. Caring for Saguaros, Ocotillos, Avages, and Prickly Pears
24. Roses in the Hard Work and Some Disappointments
25. Landscaping with Citrus
26. Swimming Plants, Play, and Water-Saving
27. Landscape Maintenance While You're Away
28. Common Grounds, Common Problems

Part 2 - A Month-by-Month Maintenance Guide

264 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1992

Reviews

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little outdated now but still a helpful read for a beginner new to the desert.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hardly an exciting book, but informative. I do recommend it for anyone faced with the task of trying to make a chunk of desert land attractive. $%@#$& weeds!