5 comments about Time-Saver Standards for Landscape Architecture.

1. I've got the book and was hoping the CD-ROM would enhance using the book, but it doesn't. The content is very slim compared to the book, and the CAD drawings that are included are also of very limited use. Don't bother with the CD-ROM version of TSSLA.



2. As a practicing L.A., I have bought several McGraw-Hill Construction Books. I get a similar result each time: They seem on first look to fulfill the promise, but I found they don't well serve the need in real life. I get far better use out of Architectural Graphic Standards, and I'm looking forward to Wiley's Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards.



3. I have always found this book to be cumbersome, difficult to navigate, poorly organized, and lacking in sufficient detail. But of course for years it was basically the only game in town, so everyone relied on it. Those days are over. I recently purchased Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards, and it is an outstanding book. If you're trying to decide which one to buy, definitely get Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards instead. And even if you already own Time-Saver Standards, do yourself a huge favor and buy Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards anyway. It covers everything that Time-Saver Standards does plus numerous other topics, all with much better explanations and details. To top things off, it has FAR more graphics and the entire book is better organized an easier to navigate than Time-Saver Standards.



4. Landscape Architecture is a young and emerging profession. It is also a marginal discipline that borrows heavily from other disciplines like Horticulture, Architecture, Ecology and Civil Engineering, etc. The boundary and standards for Landscape Architecture has not been finalized yet. "Time-Saver Standards for Landscape Architecture" can help to set an industrial standard for Landscape Architecture.
   
   "Time-Saver Standards for Landscape Architecture" is separated into 9 divisions (please note these are NOT CSI Masterformat divisions, just divisions used for this book only), including process (construction documents and specifications, site construction operation), standards and guidelines (spatial standards, energy and resource conservations, outdoor accessibilities, natural hazards: earthquake, landslides and snow avalanches, land subsidence, expansive soils), techniques (site grading, stormwater management, pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular circulation), structures (retaining walls, small dams, surfacing and paving, fences, screens and walls, wood deck and boardwalks, pedestrian bridge), improvements (site furniture and features, recreational and athletic facilities, pools and fountains, outdoor lighting, plants and planting), special condition (deck and roof landscapes, interior landscapes, disturbed landscapes, sound control), site utilities (water, sewer, irrigation, and recreational water bodies), materials (soils and aggregates, asphalt, concrete, masonry, wood, metals, plastic and glass, geotextiles), and details and devises. There is also a list of agencies and organizations and a list of reference after each section.
   
   "Time-Saver Standards for Landscape Architecture" has 928 pages and many line drawings and interior black-and-white photos. It is a good reference book for landscape design professionals.



5. This manual is a MUST for practicing land professionals. This is considered a "bible" for anyone who works with the land. As you know this field is constantly changing but this book is fundamentally sound and thorough.

5 comments about 1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die.

1. I have just finished writing the ZEN OF WATERING YOUR GARDEN. Which some may consider a "coffee table book" but it is really a challenge to the reader to get out and garden. This book of public and private gardens is filled with beautiful gardens which I think are nice to look at but untenable for any gardener to achieve. The Zen of Watering provides more practical stimulation to get out and garden with its 70 quotes juxtaposed to 145 full-color photos.



2. To cover 1001 Gardens in 960 pages is an almost impossible mission, yet Rae Spencer-Jones and his 70 contributors accomplished it.
   
   Every garden listed in "1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die" follows a standard listing format of designers, owners, garden style, size, climate, location and a brief description of the garden. Some of the gardens listed have half-page size color photographs. This book is very useful for you to gain a rough idea of the gardens nearby when you visit a city, it'll let you know about the existence of a garden and help you decide whether to visit it or not. To this end, I think "1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die" is successful.
   
   All the gardens are arranged by geographical locations, including North America, Europe, Asia, Central and South America, Africa, New Zealand and Australia. I find the "Climate Classification System," "Useful Address," "Garden Directory" at the end of the book very helpful.
   
   "1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die" has 960 pages and color interior photographs and is a useful quick reference for garden tour!



3. This very thick book has beautiful pictures that inspires one to plant a garden & travel the world.



4. For garden-lovers a 1,000 page book crammed chockfull with gardens the world over is an enticing prospect - though the suggestion you must all see them before you die is a bit fanciful, and symptomatic of the depersonalized, random consumerism of today's "must-see", "must-have" and "must-do" lists. Unfortunately, the book itself is not quite what it could have been. Quantity decidedly triumphed over quality. Photographs are mostly small, often quite crude and grainy, and as often unnaturally, even luridly colored. Many hardly give an impression of a garden at all, but instead focus on detail or architecture. Descriptive entries are brief and superficial. Entries are arranged geographically, from north to south and from west to east, with remarkably confusing results. The accent is very strongly on Europe, the whole of China being despatched in less pages than the Netherlands. If you are looking for a gazetteer to guide you to interesting gardens while planning a travel itinerary, this book might just give you a useful handle. If you are looking for pleasing garden images or indepth information, look elsewhere.



5. This was a great Mother's Day gift any gardener would love. Beautiful pictures of gardens around the world.

5 comments about The Sustainable Vegetable Garden: A Backyard Guide to Healthy Soil and Higher Yields.

1. At best, this is a book an experienced gardener might pick up at the library to glean a few useful ideas about biointensive gardening (I found nothing that isn't presented better elsewhere). At worst, unsuspecting beginners will think this book is the authoritative source it claims to be, try to implement it's convoluted techniques, and fail miserably.
   All gardening books convey a certain sensibility about gardening that sets the perspective for the endeavor. Sustainable Vegetable is weird mix of new age idealism and rocket science. Trust me, gardening is not as complicated as this book makes it sound!
   The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Ed Smith is THE definitive title on the subject.Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew is good for small gardens. Four Season Harvest by Elliott Coleman is excellent for winter gardening. Tanya Denckla's Gardener's A-Z Guides are excellent.



2. This is not a book to read in winter when you're dreaming of your perfect garden. This is a book that correctly lists the five plants that have been proven to help deter the Striped Bean Beetle when it's eating your garden down to the nubs. And the intercropping to keep the bean beetle away next year. And soil treatments to keep it from coming back. And what kinds of flowers will attract the beetle's predators. And did you know that veggies will generally produce just fine with up to 30% of their leaf surface eaten, or even produce more when it's attacked just like this? I didn't, until I read this book.
   
   Great information, essential information, complicated information. If you're a dreamer who likes a couple of nice sprays of hybrid cherry tomatoes to munch on each September and want a nice book with pretty color pictures, this isn't the book for you. If you've got dirt under your fingernails and a problem with your French Intensive beds, you will eventually need exactly this book.



3. I was very dissapointed in the length of this book. Compared to other organic gardening books, this should be listed as a brochure, or maybe as a synopsis of "How to Grow More Vegetables..." A buyer's money could be better spent. Personally, I would not buy it again. Figuring that it would cost me half of the cost of the book to return it to Amazon, I'll probably just give it away as a gift to a new gardener. This is not to say that there is no useful information in the book, but more information can be found in other, -longer- books



4. I am thankful to find this book, because it is so rare to find any gardening book that actually tells you how many seeds you need for so much ground, or how to predict yield.
   
   The reviews that complain about this valuable information give me an idea why that might be. People are too stupid to either value or use that information.
   
   Well, if you are intelligent enough to be looking for that information, then you'll be happy to have this book.



5. It is interesting reading if you want to know EVERYTHING about intensive gardening. I view gardening as stress relief, not to eat to live, so I don't like to use my brain this much when working in the garden. I give it 3 stars because I do feel if one really needs this information, it could be useful. An engineer minded person would probably love this book and get a lot of useful info out the main book, How to Grow More Vegetables. I am technical minded, but after working 60 hours a week, I don't want to strain my brain over a garden.

No comments about New Garden Design.

5 comments about The Worm Book: The Complete Guide to Worms in Your Garden.

1. This is one of the two books most recommended by the vermiculture sites that I have visited. It is a comprehensive guide. It is a great book for children and adults who want to raise worms. It's easy to understand. It is a "most" before you buy the redworms. The only reason I give it a 4 is because it is so basic that young children can understand it and I am quite a bit older.



2. Really now... What is there to say about a worm book? Can it actually be INTERESTING? Well, this book held my attention well, taught me many things I did not know, did not burden me with super technical bunk that I do not need or want to know, and was a detailed, well rounded book on the topic.
   
   That said, I think the book was excellent.
   
   Of course, a more recent publication would be better (for instance: no mention of european nightcrawlers -- something rather recent on the American worm market)... but this book gave me ALL the information that I needed to begin raising worms and understanding the HOW's and WHY's of worms and vermiculture.



3. Quick read. Interesting book. Yes worms are helpful in the garden..sometimes. Had a Tif bermuda lawn in La Jolla that became a sea of worm castings. Flushed them all out with Ivory Liquid soap and water. They came screaming up out of the ground--a bit cruel but entertaining. Tried washing them off and saving them. Mostly they died. Worms are like weeds. A weed is a plant that is growing where you don't want it to grow. Worms in the compost pile are good and even amongst the veggies but in a Tiff Bermuda lawn, you gotta kill them.



4. I used this book as second verification information on the best treating of my worm population. Has great advice and different ideas. I have a modular worm station and this book helped with worm advancement thru the stages of vermicomposting.



5. Excellent book for starting a vermicomposting project, I found the adequate climate specs for common composting species very useful. As well as the "bug visitor" information that will allow you to get an insight of the micro environment that you may decide to create for your invertebrate friends after reading this guide.
   
   Happy vermicomposting, cheers!!

5 comments about Tasha Tudor's Garden.

1. I have loved Tasha Tudor's illustrations in books like "The Tasha Tudor Book of Fairy Tales", "The Secret Garden" and "A Little Princess" since childhood. I didn't know anything about Tasha Tudor as a person, and then one Christmas my mother gave me this book. Wow! Mrs. Tudor has lived a remarkable life and she is an amazing person. She has chosen to create a home for herself that seems to exist in a century past. Her son built a rustic house for her, and she has surrounded it with extensive farm buildings, cottage gardens, fruits, berries, chickens, goats and dogs. She dresses in layers of vintage clothing and eats off of china that has been in her family for generations. I just love this woman, and her lifestyle. This is a beautiful book.



2. This is a wonderful book featuring the garden of children's book author and illustrator Tasha Tudor. Not a gardening how-to book but rather a photographic tour of the garden. It does show that a garden can be at its most charming when not rigidly landscaped but grown in a more naturalistic way. A must for all Tasha Tudor fans bookshelves.



3. I received this book several years ago as a birthday gift. It has beautiful pictures of Tasha Tudor's garden and flowers. I bought it this year for my friends 60th birthday gift. She loves it!



4. Tasha Tudor could grow anything, and this book shows her beautiful garden, really cozy. The photography is excellent. She could grow Peonies & Foxgloves, which I would love to grow in the heat of So. Calif. and can't. Her garden is informal, and what I imagine Eden might have been like. Her garden will be a memorial to her life and work as she passed away at 92 just recently. I highly recommend this if you love gardens and flowers.



5. What a wonderful way to live - not that most of us can pull it off. I strongly recommend a cup of tea, a soft throw, a chair by the window and Tasha Tudor's Garden for one of the best afternoons possible. It made me think about just what is important in this world.

5 comments about The Dock Manual: Designing/Building/Maintaining.

1. I gave up trying to find any useful information on dock building and then happened across this book not long ago. Max Burns has written a very comprehensive reference book that covers almost any imaginable dock/shore situation including the one I was looking for . If you're thinking of building your own, add this book to your library!



2. Yes, this book provides a well-illustrated overview of approaches to dock building and choices of materials. But it doesn't go far enough if you have a significant tidal range or if the wind blows. What's missing is any introduction to engineering. How to make sure the ramp doesn't fall off your float when the tide goes out. How to figure the static forces on your dock caused by 4 knot currents. How to estimate the wave heights and dynamic forces in 80 knot winds. And how to design a dock that will survive this abuse. You might want to involve a professional engineer in these situations, but that can be true of pretty much anything to do with docks. A book with this title should at least introduce you to these subjects and provide references for the gory details. Like some others, the author believes books like this should be peppered with jokes. Personally I find this annoying, but I must admit his jokes are above average. So if you want a funny introduction to building docks in gentle places, this book is for you.



3. Very thorough. Just the information I needed to determine what type of dock to build on my lakefront property.



4. I've built decks and docks in the past and I find this text to be of immense value as I prepare to build a new system of decks and docks at a new location. I'd suggest this this one to anyone who was about to build near or on the water.



5. As a handyman I like to bulid my own things. This book gives you a lot of insight. It shows an easier way of doing things by using things you would not have thought of. It is an excellent book with a lot of ideals.

5 comments about Pools & Spas: Ideas for Planning, Designing, and Landscaping.

1. There are a lot of pretty home design books out there that have very little information tucked between the pictures. This book is full of information but also has a number of handsome photos of pools, spas, and water gardens which will give you ideas if you are planning a custom designed pool or tub. It's a great resource for someone thinking of installing these features in their backyard, and it also touches on landscaping, lighting, and even sauans.



2. I borrowed this book from the library (too many pool books are not worth buying), and spent the rest of the night looking at it. Great photo examples of various types of pools that are described in detail, along with chapters on Safety, Design, Landscaping, Materials, etc... One of the best! (Same review as Pool & Spa Planner by Better Homes & Gardens, because they are both great books!)



3. We also borrowed this from the library, but found we didn't want to return it. We spent hours showing each other what pictures we really liked, got great tips on thhe issues the pool owner faces and have a real idea of what we need to consider. So, since we want to use this during the planning process, we bought it!



4. There are some good ideas and landscape ideas in this book for designing spas and pools. In the end I probably only spent 20 minutes in this book and didn't get a whole lot out of it. We spent a considerable amount of money on our pool but we live in Arizona and the landscape ideas didn't apply to this climate. Overall, lots of pretty pictures. 2 out of 5 stars.



5. We needed to rennovate a pool that we inherited with the purchase of our house last year. This book provided many insights into design, landscaping, decking and general useful information on owning a pool.

2 comments about Grow Vegetables: Gardens - Yards - Balconies - Roof Terraces.

1. An excellent book, well-written, and beautifully designed and illustrated. It makes the daunting tasks of creating and managing a vegetable garden seem simple. I could see my thumbs getting greener as I read it.
   
   The book manages to be comprehensive, yet concise, covering all of the important topics, without deluging the reader with excessive details, or complicated Latin names. It gives the beginner everything that they need to know to grow all of the common vegetables, but it will also interest the more experienced reader since it contains many unusual and challenging varieties too.
   
   This book stands head and shoulders above its neighbors on the bookstore shelves.
   
   Thoroughly recommended.



2. This book is wonderful!!! This is my second year growing veggies and my first year with this book. I learned so much from this easy to read guide. The begining general section taught me about crop rotation and sunlight and watering schedules. The sections devoted to each type of vegetable are very informative and go into just enough detail to be really helpful bot no so much that it was over my head.
   This is a great book for begining veggie gardeners!!!

5 comments about Ideas for Great Backyard Cottages (Ideas for Great).

1. This book is just a delight to sit and page thru for dreaming up ideas of your own. Page after page of beautiful cottages, quaint little retreats, and even custom doghouses. I have my own "carriage house" converted into an artist studio and just love it. There is really nothing more relaxing then building, decorating, then enjoying your own backyard cottage. If you have the yard space put the effort into building one; then get this book. Even if you don't have a backyard cottage you will enjoy the book. Hope the author will consider publishing Edition II.



2. Actually, I liked this book. It has fantastic color photos of various cottages, cabanas, potting sheds, sleeping/dining sheds, greenhouses, trellises, etc.. If you are just skimming for visual ideas for what to build in somebody's back yard or vacation property, this book is "tops".
   
   Unfortunately there were no sketches or plans accompanying the pictures. So the reader is left unsure of how to reproduce what he sees. Also, the plans available for sale in the rear of the book are fine as far as they go -- but they don't have anything available if you want a cabana, trellis, or outdoor kitchen.



3. accidently ordered 2 copies of same book
   Books were recieved by two different vendors but in ggood shape



4. An impulse purchase, but still, it gives you some ideas. Such as, "what the hell were those people thinking?" for some of the backyard cottages.



5. I'm planning a small cottage/guest house/art studio and needed help with design and interior. The book was exactly what I needed and is a big help with making decisions that will help me be able to use the building for all three things. It has a lot of pictures with landscaping ideas, thoughts on using space well, and very nice exterior
   design ideas.