Softcover, 208 pages, Published 2004
Customer Reviews:
useful.......2007-05-07
An excellent book for beginners. It features great landscape designs and a good overview of plants. Colorful illustrations, easy to read and practical. I highly recommend it.
Errors make me scared to try his plans........2007-04-05
This was one of the first landscaping books I purchased when I moved back to Texas and bought a newly constructed (read barren all but grass) house. It IS very inspirational and I always thought that it would be the first book I would reach for when I could afford to start my major landscaping project around my property. Now I'm ready to really begin planting and I've bought a few other books in the past few weeks to assist me in planning. (Other reviewers who say that you'll also need a plant guide specific to Texas are right, in my opinion. The plants the author picks may do well in Texas, but they're not necessarily natives and some will need special attention in the vastly different growing conditions throughout our great state.) I really thought the other books I purchased would supplement this one but then I sat down with all my books, pencil and graph paper, my property survey, and my local (native) nursery's plant list. I was finally making actual plans, not dreaming about it.
What do I see on page 28 as I work on plans for my front bed? A Red Oak planted 7 feet from the front window. HUH? I'll confess myself to be a novice but I'm not THAT much of a novice! Most people with a shred of common sense know that a tree that will eventually attain both a height and spread of 80 feet should not be planted anywhere near that close to your house.
Sadly, the book does not have any actual photos of the landscape designs presented, only illustrations. Lovely though they may be, they are not necessarily realistic. I'm guessing that a real picture of a Red Oak 7 feet from a home might be hard to find, since few people would be silly enough to do it. Due to my lack of faith in the plans, this book rapidly went to the bottom of the pile for my planning. Even the plant portraits he provides (the only photos in the book) could be found in better books.
Here's something interesting. If you click on the author's name above, you will see that he's produced these landscape designs for almost every region in the US. So, I'm guessing this is actually a mass-market production. I would be interested in comparing the Texas book to the others to see if there are many differences. I have a guess already. In this book, he does discuss hardiness zones but in every other Texas landscaping book I have, the actual regions of Texas are the focus. Hmmm, specifics about Texas in a book with Texas in the title. How novel.
Some books I can recommend wholeheartedly are the following (in the order I think they're useful to my paper and pencil, real, true planning):
Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife LOVE LOVE LOVE it! This book does it all. I'm particularly interested in attracting birds and butterflies to my yard. This book discusses the regions of Texas and their different needs, gives you a step-by-step plan for developing your own landscape design and gives a rundown of the needs of local wildlife and instructions for completing specific projects. You will need a supplemental plant guide though because this book is not photo rich in that area. The book was poorly reviewed for having a vast plant list that was not searchable but someone from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. left a review telling how to get the searchable index by e-mail. I got it within hours of sending off a request.
Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by RegionWONDERFUL! Gives professional quality landscaping plans for each region plus other landscaping plans for specific needs like wildlife, water, etc. It also has an excellent written and photo description of the plants she uses.
Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas If you're not interested in the Wildlife book above, this one is another that presents a great step-by-step plan for the creation of your own landscape design. Unfortunately, it doesn't give any sample plans for you to look at like Native Texas Plants does. It does offer some useful information about wildlife and xeriscaping.
Month by Month Gardening in Texas: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year (Month-By-Month Gardening in Texas) Excellent book for the planner. Not what to plant but a calendar to tell you when. It might make you puzzle about how hard it is to find a tree or perennials at Home Depot or Lowe's in Fall and Winter but check out your local nursery that carries natives and you'll find plenty.)
Texas Gardening the Natural Way: The Complete HandbookHoward Garrett is widely recognized as an authority on Texas gardening and uses organic methods. The book has an excellent section with photos and descriptions of all kinds of plants but lacks the landscaping plans I was after. Also, they're not all natives although not everyone minds that so I included it in this list because it is a good reference.
Great landscaping guide.......2007-02-20
This book is great -- it has info on lots of local plants that really grow. I think one of the best features are the plans they have for different areas in your yard and sun exposure with excellent renderings to go with them. They even take you through the seasons so you can see how an area looks in December as well as May. Very user friendly!
very helpful, informative.......2007-01-13
Great book, especially for novice garders and those learning gardening in a new climate. Easy to use and full of good ideas.
Not Enough Texas.......2006-12-05
This is an okay general guide for beginners in home landscaping. However, it is not particular to Texas, despite its title. There are only about 30 pages devoted to plant material, and this is not covered in depth. The text makes no real attempt to help gardeners select plant material suitable to the many different soil types and environments found in Texas.
Book Description
From the best-selling author of DON'T SQUAT WITH YER SPURS ON! The pages are packed with Texas Bix Bender's no-nonsense outlook on life: "Don't get even--get over it." "Never miss a good chance to shut up." "Brace your backbone and forget your wishbone." "Take your 'take home pay' home." "Put off 'til tomorrow what you shouldn't be doing anyway."
Product Description
This superb fingerpicking reference book features 101 authentic, traditional blues fingerstyle licks for guitar. The goldmine of licks is divided into the following categories: Four-beat licks; Eight-beat licks; Introductions and turnarounds. The licks are written in both standard notation and guitar tablature, and recorded at a moderate speed on the companion CD. This is not a method book for beginners, but a nice collection of licks for guitarists who have some fingerstyle ability and want to do some exploring. Another GREAT guitar book from Red Dog Music Books.
Book Description
Award-winning author Jeffrey Greene provides a portrait, by turns lyrical and provocative, of J. David Bamberger's unlikely transformation from first, a vacuum cleaner salesman, then to co-founder and CEO of Church's Fried Chicken, to an internationally recognized conservationist. In fact, Greene tells two integrally related stories: the evolution of one man's business sense, applying profit incentives to land restoration and nature conservancy; and the creation of a Texas Hill Country preserve where he effectively demonstrates his own principles.
Growing up in rural Ohio during the Great Depression and World War II, Bamberger learned at an early age to shun waste, grow food productively, and admire the Amish for living in harmony with the land. His mother taught him to love the natural world and gave him a book that would set the course for his life: Pleasant Valley, by Louis Bromfield, a visionary American advocate for land restoration. Inspired by his new role model, Bamberger would say, "If I ever make money, I want to do what Bromfield did."
After finding that financial success, Bamberger bought what he describes as "the sorriest piece of land in Blanco County" and entered upon his decades-long effort to restore the ecological balance of 5,500 acres that had been virtually destroyed by more than a century of misuse. Naming his preserve Selah--from the Old Testament term meaning "pause and reflect"--Bamberger dedicates himself and his resources to protecting species and educating school children, conservation groups, government officials, and everyone else who will listen to his central message, delivered with evangelical zeal: We must take care of the earth, and anyone can help.
Today, David and his wife, Margaret, have received many awards, and he has been featured in The New Yorker, in Audubon, and on CNN and network news. But until now, no one has fully told the story of how a man with vision transformed a place--and in doing so, transformed himself.
Customer Reviews:
Insightful look at the transformation of Selah, the Bamberger's Ranch .......2007-09-19
Water from Stone is an insightful look at the transformation of Selah the Bamberger's Ranch in Blanco County from a worn out piece of the hill country into an impressive environmental and sustainable conservation teaching facility. It is an enjoyable story with a truth is stranger than fiction quality that blends humor with the writer's adept insight. Water from Stone inspires one to go out and improve our land in ways that are practical and sustainable for generations to come.
An inspiring story.......2007-09-10
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this account of David Bamberger's life and the experiences that led him to become one of the foremost conservationists and environmental educators in Texas. I have heard him speak numerous times and come away each time inspired to take better care of our planet and influence others to do the same. Water From Stone made me more aware of all the work that Mr. Bamberger has done to make our environment safer and healthier for all of God's creatures.
Good writing skills, sad story.......2007-07-06
I have worked with conservation and restoration of ecosystems in Texas for over 30 years. I have seen all but the most pompous land manager acquire a deep sense of humility over the intricate and amazing natural processes of ecological succession and natural selection. Only a hint of humility was ever reflected in this book and that was in the final two paragraphs of this book. That bothered me. However, Mr. Bamberger's attitude was consistent with his constant railing and disgust with the American socio-economic system, the very one that gave him the means and the privilege of "owning" the properties for which he holds the deeds. However, I found more paradox throughout the book. Foremost is the fact that Bamberger has difficulty getting along with the people and groups that can help him the most. The author has good skills with the English language and the book is well-written. Many entertaining stories are well-told. However, the author's hero worship of David Bamberger is distasteful to me.
Average customer rating:
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The Spanish Acequias Of San Antonio
I. Waynne Cox
Manufacturer: Maverick Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 189327134X |
Book Description
This is the first book on the remarkable 50-mile Spanish-era acequia system that supplied water to early San Antonio. It is believed to have been the most extensive such network within the present-day United States. One of the acequias, serving lands near Mission Espada, remains in use. Its 1730s stone aqueduct is a significant tourist attraction.
New towns throughout the semiarid Spanish southwest depended for water on medieval systems designed by Spanish engineers using techniques brought to Spain from North Africa by the Moors. Their acequias, or irrigation ditches, used a variety of ingenious techniques such as hollowed logs, diversion dams and stone aqueducts to coax water from nearby streams to homes and fields.
San Antonio's founding was due to the presence of two major sources of water, San Pedro Springs and the headwaters of the San Antonio River. From these was developed perhaps the most extensive acequia system within the present-day United States. The network leading from six acequias originally served both the civilian community and five Spanish missions. Their often erratic courses determined property lines and the winding paths of many present-day streets.
Longtime archeologist Waynne Cox, who uncovered many forgotten remains of the system, outlines acequia technology as well as the construction, evolution and, in most cases, the closing by the early twentieth century of San Antonio's acequias. His pioneering account draws from a wealth of new information unearthed in the city's earliest municipal records. The book's 23 illustrations include 8 maps, plus notes, a bibliography and an index.
Book Description
Fishing in the United States and all over the world continues to increase in popularity. It is an outdoor participation sport that can be enjoyed by all ages and in a fast paced world, it offers a relaxing, back to nature look at the beauty and excitement that coastal waters have to offer.
On a planet that is 70% covered by water, it only makes sense that we take full advantage of this wonderful resource.
The ocean's depths continue to reveal their secrets and it is anyone's guess as to what it will produce in the future.
Book Description
From Buddy Holly and the Crickets to the Flatlanders, Terry Allen, and Natalie Maines, Lubbock, Texas, has produced songwriters, musicians, and artists as prolifically as cotton, conservatives, and windstorms. While nobody questions where the conservatives come from in a city that a recent nonpartisan study ranked as America's second most conservative, many people wonder why Lubbock is such fertile ground for creative spirits who want to expand the boundaries of thought in music and art. Is it just that "there's nothing else to do," as some have suggested, or is there something in the character of Lubbock that encourages creativity as much as conservatism?
In this book, Christopher Oglesby interviews twenty-five musicians and artists with ties to Lubbock to discover what it is about this community and West Texas in general that feeds the creative spirit. Their answers are revealing. Some speak of the need to rebel against conventional attitudes that threaten to limit their horizons. Others, such as Joe Ely, praise the freedom of mind they find on the wide open plains. "There is this empty desolation that I could fill if I picked up a pen and wrote, or picked up a guitar and played," he says. Still others express skepticism about how much Lubbock as a place contributes to the success of its musicians. Jimmie Dale Gilmore says, "I think there is a large measure of this Lubbock phenomenon that is just luck, and that is the part that you cannot explain."
As a whole, the interviews create a portrait not only of Lubbock's musicians and artists, but also of the musical community that has sustained them, including venues such as the legendary Cotton Club and the original Stubb's Barbecue. This kaleidoscopic portrait of the West Texas music scene gets to the heart of what it takes to create art in an isolated, often inhospitable environment. As Oglesby says, "Necessity is the mother of creation. Lubbock needed beauty, poetry, humor, and it needed to get up and shake its communal ass a bit or go mad from loneliness and boredom; so Lubbock created the amazing likes of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Terry Allen, and Joe Ely."
Customer Reviews:
Vortex.......2006-10-27
If you subscribe to the idea that certain areas of the world are natural conduits to creativity (and they're often the most UNLIKELY places on Earth), this book will definitely reinforce that notion. As a life-long Texan, I had no idea of the breadth of artistry that's emerged from the vast, desolate, seemingly limitless landscape that is Lubbock, Texas. Sure, I'd heard of Buddy Holly, Joe Ely, and the Flatlanders--what serious music lover in Texas or around the world hadn't? But to learn about this fountain of artists who may not be as well known yet have been just as prolific and, more importantly, just as influential--that was an eye-opener. It'll be one for you, too. If you love Texas music, buy this book. If you love music in general, or if you want an insight into the how the creative process is molded by a landscape, an environment, an ideal--buy this book. You'll come away informed, sated, but more importantly, curious. And it will open up a whole new avenue of inquiry for you. It did for me.
Average customer rating:
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Sailing Ship Elissa (Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, Texas a & M University)
Patricia Bellis Bixel
Manufacturer: Texas A&M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0890968268 |
Book Description
Texas and whitewater. Who knew?
According to Texas Whitewater, by veteran paddler Steve Daniel, one doesn't have to be an outdoors expert to find whitewater fun and adventure in the Lone Star State. Sometimes all that's needed is a little rain and perseverance and this handy guide to more than seventy Texas rivers and creeks with the greatest prospects for whitewater.
"Making the best of it is what this book is all about," Daniel writes. "It is about beautiful scenery, long-lasting friendships, and challenges to one's physical and mental abilities."
Texas Whitewater is arranged according to river drainages: Trinity, Brazos, Colorado, Guadalupe-San Antonio-Nueces, and the Rio Grande. Each description includes a map and an overview of the location, gradient, drainage, and difficulty of the run. Daniel draws on his own and other whitewater enthusiasts' experiences to describe the runs. Many chapters conclude with "Lagniappe," a section detailing the best restaurant or tourist attraction to be found in the area. Eye-catching photographs highlight whitewater features and showcase some of the state's best boaters at play. Daniel also provides information on access and safety issues. He offers tips on obtaining information on water levels and stream flow data locations via the Internet. Also included is an updated legal summary on the navigability of state waterways, prepared by Texas Assistant Attorney General Joe Riddell.
Customer Reviews:
I love it.......2007-07-24
Being an avid paddler, I was initially dissappointed to move from Georgia to Texas and leave behind the whitewahter rivers of the southeast. I was happy to find that there are some credible paddle spots in the Lone Star state and this book helped me to find them. It is well organized and easy to read and the information provided is very thorough.
The best resource for paddling whitewater in Texas........1999-03-11
This book has identified all the information you need to locate true whitewater in the state of Texas.
One of a kind.......1999-02-21
If you like Texas Whitewater, this book is a must
Average customer rating:
- Outstanding!
- Fish Identification
- Not for beginners, but good
- South Texas
- Disappointing
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Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico: Texas, Louisiana, and Adjacent Waters (W.L. Moody, Jr., Natural History Series , No 22)
H. Dickson Hoese , and
Richard H. Moore
Manufacturer: Texas A&M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
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A Field Guide to Atlantic Coast Fishes : North America (Peterson Field Guides)
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Beachcomber's Guide to Gulf Coast Marine Life, Third Edition: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida
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Sport Fish of the Gulf of Mexico
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Angler's Guide to the Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico
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Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology, Fifth Edition
ASIN: 0890967679 |
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding!.......2007-03-20
This is an excellent text for the professional (or near professional) to use in identification of fishes in the Gulf. It is NOT for the beginner, and if you are a beginner you will be disappointed due to the technical layout and terms in this book. Additionally, I think the artistic illustrations by Dinah Bowman are FANTASTIC, but of course I am slightly biased because she is my mother. :)
Fish Identification.......2005-09-05
The book is written for college study, however, the pictures are of less than good quality. Many of the fish were dead for quite awhile before photographed. This isn't the best source if you're looking for a book to help you identify fish of the Gulf.
Not for beginners, but good.......2005-07-25
Good for biologists and wanna be/soon to be biologist. Has useful fish species keys, pretty good key to families too, decent descriptions & definitions. Pictures of some species leaves something to be desired (especially some of the sharks, which turn out to be fish mounted on walls). Doesn't cover juvenile differences well, but most people are looking at adults anyway.
South Texas.......2003-06-07
Good text book for classifing any fish found in the Gulf of Mexico by families, but not a quick picture reference book for identifying your catch. ... If the pictures had been better in "Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico". I would have given it a five stars rateing.
Disappointing.......2001-11-29
Yes, disappointing is the word. More of an encyclopedic book that one that provides an interesting naarative on the fish or even better, information useful for catching them (habitat, preferred bait).
Houston Chronicle writers raved about this. I disagreed. Would have returned it if it wasn't so much trouble to ship it back. Wish I'd have bought it from a local store, could have returned it right away!
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