Look for Sue Reed's new book, Energy-Wise Landscape Design, from New Society Publishers (available in March 2010).

This book explains how to create landscapes specifically for the purpose of saving energy. Hundreds of practical tips enable readers to both lower their home's operating costs and reduce the amount of fuel that's consumed in the construction, care and everyday use of their landscapes. And because the book is written by an experienced landscape architect, its ideas also help make landscapes more comfortable, livable and beautiful.

Energy-Wise Landscape Design:

• Combines technical explanations and design suggestions.
• Provides general guidelines supported by practical methods for achieving them.
• Includes many ideas that cost little or nothing to implement.
• Applies to a wide range of regions and landscape types.
• Is written in a comfortable, conversational style, using easy, non-technical language.
• Includes steps for saving both large and small amounts of energy.
• Provides abundant how-to details without getting bogged down in numbers, dimensions and calculations.