Jay wrote:

We are moving into a newly built home soon.
I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on a really good landscaping
book or software.
We live in central new york

I agree with others about the dismal state of the available
software.

Things don't grow as fast in NY as they do here in NC. Still,
you'll save a lot of problems if you note the expected mature
size of woody plants (trees & shrubs) you're putting in and
leave enough space between them for them to grow. The plants
will be healthier, they will look better as they grow, you
won't need to prune as much, and you won't have plants growing
into your house. That one tip will eliminate 75% of the
problems I see when I look at landscaping.

If the spaces between plants look too large at first, you can
plant perennials between them to fill the space. In general,
perennials are are easy to take out or move as the woody
plants grow larger.

The second most important issue is to put plants where their
sun and shade requirements are met.

An excellent book on woody plants is "Dirr's Hardy Trees and
Shrubs." That won't help with design layout, but it does have
pictures of a wide selection of plants suitable to your area.

M


Mike Prager
Beaufort, NC (on the coast in zone 8a)
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