Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #577511 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 216 pages

From Amazon.com
Equal parts gorgeous and practical, Reader's Digest's The Complete Container Garden provides clear and straightforward advice accompanied by brightly colored close-up photography. From spring bulbs to winter berries, the range of plants and containers is tremendous, and the how-to tips are invaluable. You'll find techniques for training vines and topiary or planting strawberry jars, and generous coverage of basics like pruning, feeding, wintering, and deadheading.

The author pays great attention to choosing plants. The ideas for unusual foliage plants are exceptional, ranging from lovely purple-leaved cabbages to aromatic pelargonium. Only two brief pages are devoted to discussing pests and diseases, but the photos are a big help in identifying various creatures--for greater detail in getting rid of them, novice gardeners will need to look for other information sources.

Over 70 pages are devoted to descriptions of plants that are container-appropriate, and you'll have plenty to choose from in all categories--common bulbs and annuals as well as more unusual vegetables and small fruit trees are all represented with growing tips and optimal conditions, so you'll be sure to choose plants appropriate to your environment. Enjoyable inspiration for the novice or expert, you'll find this a worthy addition to both your coffee table and your reference shelf. --Jill Lightner

From Publishers Weekly
Container gardening offers myriad possibilities for growing things in restricted spaces, for adding color to problem planting areas and for providing dramatic focal points to landscaping. British garden writer Joyce concentrates primarily on floral gardening here, demonstrating how to combine color schemes for shady or sunny exposures and how to use foliage plants as a primary focus. More than 400 color photos illustrate the steps involved in selecting and transforming an assortment of containers, from large and costly pottery tubs to recycled coffee cans, into contained gardens. Soil selection and planting methods, the use of liners, hanging baskets, window boxes, pruning and propagation are considered; there are sections on container rock and water gardens. An extensive chapter on individual plants is organized by color of bloom and/or foliage and includes reference to U.S. hardiness zones. "Model Plantings," with lists of ingredients and positioning diagrams, depicts arrangements that seem most likely to thrive in areas of the U.S. that enjoy maritime climates comparable to those in Great Britain. Lackluster, jerky prose and the failure to address organic means of pest and disease control further narrow the overall value for U.S. gardeners.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ingram
Integrating expert advice with creative tips and ideas, a comprehensive guide to container gardening offers step-by-step directions for selecting plants, types of containers, and plant care and cultivation, as well as a directory of suitable plants, organized by color and season. 25,000 first printing.