Owen is a prolific author and writer. His work has been published in many of the most prestigious magazines in the world of horticulture and landscape design, including Sunset Magazine, Fine Gardening, Pacific Horticulture, This Old House, Landscape Design, Southern California Gardener, and others. Here is a sampling of his work on various subjects. Click on the links to go to the articles.

• DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEMS: The Basics

  by Owen E. Dell WHAT’S A DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM? A drip irrigation system applies water slowly to the specific root zone of plants. This is accomplished with emitters that are…

• FIRESCAPING: Homeowner Checklist

  FIRESCAPING CHECKLIST You may wish to print out this checklist and use it to evaluate the fire safety of your landscaping. Make a note of anything that needs improvement and…

• THE NEW WATERSHED, Part Six

  THE NEW WATERSHED: A Fresh Look at the Hidden Opportunities in Urban Runoff version 1.0 by Owen E. Dell SECTION 6. GLOSSARY berm A low, often linear or curvilinear, mound…

• THE NEW WATERSHED, Part Five

  THE NEW WATERSHED: A Fresh Look at the Hidden Opportunities in Urban Runoff version 1.0 by Owen E. Dell SECTION 5. GENERAL INTEREST WEBSITES Sweetwater Alliance, Duluth, Minnesota T.R.E.E.S. Project…

• THE NEW WATERSHED, Part Four

   THE NEW WATERSHED: A Fresh Look at the Hidden Opportunities in Urban Runoff version 1.0 by Owen E. Dell SECTION 4. REFERENCES BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS Condon, Patrick and Stacy Moriarty…

• THE NEW WATERSHED, Part Three

  THE NEW WATERSHED: A Fresh Look at the Hidden Opportunities in Urban Runoff version 1.0 by Owen E. Dell SECTION 3. PRIVATE PROPERTY PERCENT LANDSCAPED AREA 1. ADEQUATE LANDSCAPED AREA:…

• THE NEW WATERSHED, Part Two

  THE NEW WATERSHED: A Fresh Look at the Hidden Opportunities in Urban Runoff version 1.0 by Owen E. Dell SECTION 2. PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE PERCENT LANDSCAPED AREA 1. ADEQUATE LANDSCAPED AREA:…

• THE NEW WATERSHED, Part One

   THE NEW WATERSHED: A Fresh Look at the Hidden Opportunities in Urban Runoff version 1.0 by Owen E. Dell “Conventional drainage practice focuses on quickly getting water away from desirable…

• PERVIOUS CONCRETE

  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is pervious concrete paving? Pervious concrete pavement is a mixture of Portland cement, pea gravel, and water. It is ordinary concrete without the sand. Because of…

• POISONOUS PLANTS: THE BIG TEN

  Articles by Owen Dell THE BIG TEN: Southern California Plants Seriously Poisonous to Humans by Owen E. Dell Brugmansia sanguinea (Angel’s Trumpet) Whole plant toxic, esp. seeds Symptoms may appear…

• TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE

  by Owen E. Dell It’s been said so many times that it’s become a cliché: “Think Globally, Act Locally.” The problem most of us have with this concept is figuring…

• TAPPING THE URBAN WASTE STREAM

  by Owen E. Dell Many things that we have always considered trash are actually valuable resources that can be diverted from landfills to our gardens, where they can become a…

• INPUTS AND OUTPUTS IN THE SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE

  WHAT’S SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPING? Low-impact Resource-efficient Minimally polluting Stable over time In harmony with local environment Reduction of inputs and output INPUTS BUILDING MATERIALS Re-use materials (RR Ties, broken concrete) Use…

• THE THIRTEEN DEADLY SYNDROMES

  by Owen E. Dell 1. THE SATURDAY MORNING SYNDROME SYMPTOMS: The urge to venture forth on weekends to the local nursery, to seek out new, mysterious and cheap plants, to…

• UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS

  by Owen E. Dell It’s a remarkable moment in the history of landscaping. People are beginning to look at the impact of their gardens and are realizing that they can…

• THE SUSTAINABLE GARDEN, Part Two

  by Owen E. Dell This article originally appeared in Pacific Horticulture magazine, Winter 1998. Reprinted by permission. Part Two – IMAGINING A BETTER GARDEN Imagine a garden that rarely needs pruning,…

• THE SUSTAINABLE GARDEN, Part One

  by Owen E. Dell This article originally appeared in Pacific Horticulture magazine, Winter 1998. Reprinted by permission. Part One – A POLEMIC Those who would take over the earth And shape…

• NEIGHBORHOOD FOODSHEDS

  Click the link below to see the flyer Owen prepared to launch the very successful Neighborhood Foodshed Project in Santa Barbara, California. Foodshed Flyer 090316 Other articles by Owen Dell

• The Incredibly Stupid Water Thing

  I’m not going to mention any names, but there’s a town in San Diego County that just did an incredibly stupid thing. Towns do stupid things all the time, of…

• Wonderful, Rotten Compost: An Introduction

  WHAT’S COMPOST? Compost is nothing more than plant parts broken down by microorganisms into stuff that looks like soil. It’s the most natural, and the most common, recycling program on…

• Adversarial Horticulture

  I don’t watch TV much. I’m too busy and TV makes me restless, and besides I enjoy the smug feeling of being able to act as though I’m above all…

• Coming up for a look

  Contents Hello gardening friends,   It has been close to a year since I completed the manuscript for my latest book, Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies. Writing a book is a huge…

• New Product Highlight: Planting Holes

  A revolutionary new sustainable landscaping product has come on the market. Have a look.

• A Sustainable Alternative to Power Leaf Blowers

  There’s a new, eco-friendly alternative to the noisy, polluting gas leaf blower. And it’s recycled!

• Beyond Sustainable Landscapes

  Sustainable landscaping isn’t good enough. Here’s what we need to do.

• Local Man Reconnects With Nature on Facebook

  Santa Barbara man gets back to nature, thanks to the awesome power of social media. Heartwarming story!

• Water Budget Busting

  Water budgeting features on conventional irrigation controllers don’t meet the needs of plants and can result in damage to the landscape. Weather changes require altering the frequency of irrigation cycles,…

• Roll Out the Rain Barrels?

  Rain barrels are the de rigueur item for urban eco-hipsters these days. They’re sold in every garden catalog, subsidized or given away by water districts, and touted by virtually every…

• The Attack of the Designosaurs

  Speaking of monsters (see “Garden Wise Guys” below), the time has come to talk of some of the design practices that ought to go the way of the Stegosaurus. Just…

• Garden Wise Guys News

  Learn about sustainable landscaping the fast, fun way. Join Santa Barbara landscape architects Owen Dell and Billy Goodnick as they host the popular sustainable landscaping sitcom Garden Wise Guys on…

• Getting Started in Your Own Landscaping Business

  OK, so this is me hard at work at my drafting board, designing a new garden for one of my first clients. This photo was taken a few years ago;…

• Great New Service from Owen Dell and Associates!

  Try out this great new plant care support service, available exclusively from Owen Dell and Associates, LLC.

• Kobe Mulch: Artisanal, Local, Sustainable

    Kobe Mulch: Artisanal, Local, Sustainable The refined estates of the Santa Barbara area are set to become the latest beneficiary of the Kobe Mulch craze that’s suddenly sweeping America.…