Fire the Landscaper: How Landscapers, HOAs, and Cultural Norms Are Poisoning Our Properties

"Rarely does a gardening book raise eyebrows, let alone hell." - Diana Morse

Fire the Landscaper is a biting critique of current landscape design and maintenance practices. The book explores the health risks, cultural biases, origins, and the insults to Mother Nature caused by our culturally backed, legally enforced obsession with artificial representations of nature.

Inside this book you’ll learn:

• How to create a healthier, more beautiful lawn and landscape by doing LESS
• The origins of the grass lawn
• The dangers of pesticides in and around your home
• The dirty secrets of the landscaper industry from an insider
• The dirtier secrets of homeowner’s associations and local code enforcement
• Practical solutions aligned with nature to increase the health and productivity of landscapes
• An introduction to permaculture.

"Rarely does a gardening book raise eyebrows, let alone Hell.
Phil M. Williams' "Fire the Landscaper" sounds a battle cry defending private property, homesteading and chemical-free living -- "weeds" and all. A former landscaping mogul, Williams exposes the industry's practice of over-fertilizing and over-mowing lawns, a cycle driven by homeowners chained to such maintenance by Home Owner's Association (HOA) rules or a "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality. Williams also discusses questionable landscaper design and pricing practices, to educate consumers about what they're really paying for, from below-grade trees and shrubs to the lack of permaculture-style plantings that can provide food as well as aesthetics.
Part biography, part instruction manual for turning lawns into natural and productive garden-spaces, Williams describes the pride and pitfalls of homesteading. From living with nosy neighbors who can't get their heads out of their mole-holes long enough to understand "perfect" lawns require plant killing toxins that impact land for generations, to downright mean folks who can't comprehend that so-called weeds are often edible, and necessary for healthy soil. For the intrepid homesteader, it seems, fighting City Hall often comes with nature-led land management.
Williams bucks the system with style, however, and digresses from instructor to insider often. His stories includes a satisfyingly lurid dream sequence worthy of Sinclair Lewis' "It Can't Happen Here" guaranteed to make the reader want to start an illegal mulch pile immediately. Damn the HOA, full speed ahead! After all, it's your property, right?" -Diana Morse ★★★★★

"Mr. Williams had me in tears a few time with his rich descriptions, story telling, and simplistic revelations of truth to a simpler, richer way of living. A definite MUST READ for everyone - and I mean everyone." -Terri R. ★★★★★

"As much about life as it is about the lawn, Fire the Landscaper is a quick and very timely read about the organized destruction of our ecosystems one yard at a time." - T. Hall ★★★★★

"Great book, I went through it in an evening. Mr Williams does an excellent job using real life examples to paint the picture of where we are, where were going, and where we could go. I wish I could stand on a corner and hand this out." - Matt M. ★★★★★

"What an awesome book! Its great to have a book out there that challenges the cultural norms head on. It exposes the practices of the lawn care industry, and how toxic and wasteful it is for our environment. It definitely inspired me to get out there and grow some food in my yard instead of just mowing down my weeds, i mean grass...no weeds. A big thank you to Mr. Williams for writing this spectacular book!" - Desiree H. ★★★★★

"This is one of the few books I have actually read in its entirety for many years. If you are one that seeks after true nature, this is the book for you. I can't wait to read his future works." - Aaron ★★★★★

I loved your book. It struck me as something that readers would find very interesting. It was well written and well paced. I found that I could follow your argument for permaculture easily. I also felt I connected with you and your topic, as if you were talking to me directly, and I was quickly engaged by your ideas.

Gary SmailesEditor

The idea of being green has become more of a fashion statement than anything of substance. Many times it amounts to buying the right car, the right produce, or the right light bulbs. What it doesn't do is challenge the overarching narrative we tell ourselves in the first world. I think for many people that narrative involves technology saving the day. This technological domination and disconnection from nature is a large part of the problem. Meanwhile the solutions are simple and right in front of our noses.

In Fire the Landscaper, I wanted to shed light on a simple but devastating problem that could be fixed with minimal effort. Toward the end of my time as a landscaper, I began to question why we maintain properties the way we do. I answered the why, with research into cultural bias, group psychology, history, philosophy, homeowners associations, and local ordinances. The research was as fascinating as it was disheartening, and at times, utterly ridiculous.

While it is important to identify the problems and the consequences, it was more important to me to offer practical, realistic solutions that anyone could integrate into their busy life. I hope readers of Fire the Landscaper enjoy and benefit from the text.

Phil M. Williams is the author of ten books: Fire the Landscaper, Against the Grain, Stone Lake, Cesspool, Initiation, No Conscience, The Propaganda Project, Sedition, What Happened at the Lake, and co-author of Farmer Phil's Permaculture. Against the Grain can be downloaded for free at PhilWBooks.com