Energy-Wise Landscape Design: A New Approach for your Home and Garden

This book is a must-read for anybody looking to build or renovate a home, especially in the temperate climate of New England, where the siting, positioning and surrounding landscaping of a home can directly influence the energy efficiency and environmental footprint of your property. Sue's book is timely for many reasons. As our utility bills go through the roof and natural resources continue to suffer enormous pressure from development, industry, the spread of invasive, non-native plant species, as well as warming average temperatures, homeowners have every incentive to reduce their energy usage and landscape their properties in a way that contributes to environmental health rather than degrading it further.The book is structured into useful sections such as "Arranging the Landscape to Help Cool a House in Summer", "Situating New Homes with Energy in Mind" and "Fitting the Landscape to the Land", which shares excellent tips for landscaping on slopes. Even if you're in the midst of a current landscaping or construction project, the section "Revise your Ideas to Fit the Terrain" is worth reading before you do any more work! In New England, where every property seems to be situated on some kind of hill, Sue's book will help you understand how to work with the challenges of your landscape and turn them into design features that enhance your property's beauty and usefulness.Landscaping sections include designing gardens to reduce water usage, how to have a green, healthy lawn without using toxic chemicals, and information on how to properly plant trees and shrubs. Considering that most plant deaths that happen in the first few years occur because of improper planting (by homeowners as well as poorly trained landscapers!), this is advice that will save you money!Construction and installation-related topics include building wood structures for long life, installing efficient outdoor lighting, how to lay durable patios, paths and stone walls, and ways you can generate your own energy from your property using sunlight, wind, water and geothermal heat. Clear diagrams and pictures illustrate complex concepts such as how to read and understand the effects of sunlight on your property based on your geographic location, altitude and time of year.Although Energy-Wise Landscape Design is a practical, comprehensive guide that could be used as a textbook for a sustainable design curriculum, Sue's writing style is friendly and the book is a surprisingly good read, considering the technical nature of its subject. It's no surprise that Sue taught for many years at the renowned Conway School of Landscape Design, her writing reflects her ability to explain complicated concepts in a way that students can understand. I read half this book in one sitting, but I know I'll be returning to it time and time again as a technical reference on future projects. My only disappointment was that the beautiful photos of ecologically-friendly landscapes were not in full color, but I'm sure this kept the book's price at an affordable price, and is the only reason I give this book 4 stars out of 5.Energy-Wise Landscape Design belongs on the bookshelf of everyone who dabbles (or works!) in construction, gardening and landscape design. Even if the only greenery in your yard is a lawn, you will learn from this book, and in the process, save money, time and protect our precious natural resources.

superb and highly detailed book on using plants to curb home energy use. Especially important in a time of climate change.

Don't let the title of this book put you off. This may sound like a technical or an academic publication, but it is not. It reads like a friendly user's manual. It explains how some landscaping design ideas help to conserve energy. With clear and clever illustrations by Kate Dana, and with simple step-by-step suggestions, the author coaches us into creating a sustainable, energy-efficient property. Primarily, the book explains how to help cool a house in summer and warm it in winter, using sun, wind, trees and plants. In addition, the goal of the book is to help property owners use less energy in building, landscaping and maintaining homes and gardens. A long term objective is to reduce dependence on foreign energy and to improve the environment.The book is divided into 7 sections: In sections 1 and 2 suggestions are offered on how to arrange the landscape in order to make houses more comfortable in summer and winter. Included are the role that tree placement plays in providing shade in summer, the strategy for capturing cooling breezes, and reducing ground heat that surrounds a home. The winter section explains how to maximize the sun's heat, plant windbreaks and buffers, and position the home to deflect wind.Sections 3 and 4 provide design ideas for saving energy in the landscape. These include the use of regionally native plants that harmonize with local soil conditions and the re evaluating of the lawn in order to conserve water and operating energy for mowers. This section also offers help in designing properties that sparingly use electricity for outdoor lighting and watering systems. Further topics discussed here are the using of slopes to their ecological advantage, the efficient use of landscaping materials, optimal locations for homes in relation to sun and wind, and designing a car park area constructed with the least amounts of energy and natural resources.Section 5 advises the reader how to develop and care for a landscape while conserving energy. Topics include the role of top soil, amendments, plants, mulch, wildflowers, planting techniques, low maintenance lawns, and water conservation.Section 6 instructs the small property homeowner how to generate energy from wind, sunlight and flowing water.Section 7 offers a discussion about energy efficient outdoor lighting.The book is rounded out with a helpful appendix that, among other things, instructs on how to determine a pitch of a slope or a tree shadow's size and direction. This is followed by an invaluable appendix listing the size of the the shade canopy of trees.Sue Reed is a landscape architect and educator. Her focus is environmentally sound, energy efficient and sustainable landscape design and she has worked in this field for over 25 years. With a style of writing that is easy to absorb, she has created a valuable manual that readers will enjoy exploring. The ideas and suggestions found in this book are described in such simple detail that anyone will be able to adapt them to a variety of different landscape projects. Sue Reed is a gifted writer with a remarkable ability to tackle complex, technical information, distill it down to its essence, and explain it in everyday language. This reviewer hopes she will write more.

There are dozens and dozens of great ideas on ways to save money while making your property attractive in " Energy-Wise Landscape Design: A New Approach for Your Home and Garden ."Projects include ways to keep a home cooler in summer to protecting it from the cold in winter, using local plants to ensure the best use of water, tips on the right way to plant trees, limiting the use of off-site topsoil and lots more.Homeowners can take on simple tasks, like planting a shrub near a home to reduce the wind chill or building a bigger mulch pile to protect a tree, or major projects, such as relocating the driveway or adding windmills to the backyard.Black and white photos make their point, showing good gardening practices, ways to avoid water waste, the unnecessary stripping of vegetation during a home's construction and a lot more.This is a compelling book that provides good ideas for almost any homeowner interested in cutting their soaring utility bills and making the best use of their property.

This thoughtful book by the knowledgeable Sue Reed gives a through review of the lost art of how vegetation can create a beneficial microclimate.