Design, Build and Bloom

Design, Build, and Bloom: A Desert Garden Guide was written to educate newcomers and longtime residents in the southwest about how to design their own magnificent, cost-effective landscapes for home or business. The easy-to-read book with hundreds of colorful photos provides detailed information on urban horticulture. One half of a beautiful landscape is the plantings; the other half is how well the garden is maintained.

Learn how to successfully plant an exquisite landscape and watch it bloom year-round; how to prepare the soil for planting, along with a guide on how to stake newly planted trees; install and troubleshoot drip irrigation systems; plant vegetable gardens, roses, citrus, hybrid turf; and create a wildflower garden and accent with container gardening.

Design, Build and Bloom: A Desert Garden Guide also explains how to correctly prune trees and shrubs to maintain their health and beauty and provides information on plant diseases, how to correctly fertilize landscapes, and when to apply herbicides and insecticides for weed and insect control.

-- Dawn Layna Fried