Introduction -- Part 1 : getting started with landscaping. Designing your landscape : the birth of your design -- Thinking like a designer -- Forming a working plan : getting serious about your design -- Part 2 : building hardscape into your yard. Taming your site -- Dealing with water -- All things fences, walls, and gates -- Creating paths and walkways -- Constructing decks -- Building patios -- Enhancing your landscape -- Part 3 : the planting o' the green. Barking up the right tree -- Bulking up with shrubs and vines -- Adding color and texture this seasons with annuals -- Striving for long-lasting beauty with perennials and bulbs -- Including succulents and containers for more color and texture -- Covering lots of ground -- Part 4 : outside factors you can and can't control. Maintaining your landscape -- Dealing with critters, weeds, and other common problems -- Coping with mother nature and weather -- Part 5 : Time to add flair to your landscape. Contemplating plans for special situations -- Considering theme landscapes -- Part 6 : the part of tens. Ten ways to make your surroundings unique -- Ten ways to a greener landscape -- Appendix A : landscaping resources -- Appendix B : English-metric conversion tables.