The book I read to research this post was Landscaping Basics For Dummies by Philip Giroux which is a very good book that I bought from kindle. This book is basically a cut down version of Landscaping For Dummies. It’s only around 75 pages so is quite short. Before embarkinging of a big landscaping project with your garden you need to get a piece of paper and plan what types of land use the various parts of the garden are going to be used for. What is actually going to be planted can be worked out a little later. The uses of the different parts need to match what you want from the garden. If you are planning on selling your house in the near furure, expensive plans like installing a pool or decking are unlikely to recoup there cost when you sell up. Many people in particular like barbecues and will often have a section of the garden for this. What you plant has to have a realistic chance of surviving the weather and climate you have. Often trees like oaks are good with the english oak often found in western europe being good for a temperate climate. There are also versions of oak that grow in africa and america. In a cold climate a particularly attractive and resilient tree is the norway spruce able to survive at -40 F. Among your options are also things like rockeries and may be a wild flower part to attract things like birds and good insects to repel pests. Alot of people like the idea of a bird table and feeding the wildlife. This is an interesting book that I do recommend.
