Container Gardening Through the Year

A week-by-week guide features more than sixty planting projects; includes plant quantities, pot dimensions, and growing details for each; and offers accompanying photographs and essays that describe maintenance guidelines. 25,000 first printing.

For the gardener buying only one book on container planting this season, this delectable, concise volume is the choice.Starting with spring, British florist and writer Hillier (Container Gardening; The Book of Fresh Flowers) offers an irresistible selection of container plantings for all four seasons. Initially considering containers, he confesses a partiality to patinas, irregularities, moss and lichen and even suggests brushing new terracotta with yogurt to speed the aging process. Discussing plant selections, he examines light, soil and moisture requirements and offers valuable tips about shape, proportion, texture and color effects. Best of all are the sparkling, one-per-page planting suggestions in the main chapters. The sizes of the container alone and with mature plantings are given; components are labeled in Latin and popular nomenclature, with the number of plants required noted. Sun, soil and watering needs are listed, along with planting instructions and suggestions for feeding and long-term care. Encouraging the use of dwarf trees and shrubs, Hillier also delivers precise reader-friendly instructions meant to cover all issues, even advising that a fuchsia standard is likely to take two years of training before it flowers. Brief annotated plant listings round out this stellar, unfussy volume.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

With design principles foremost in mind, Hillier advises on how to match surprising plant combinations with an array of containers. Various themes (shape and proportion, texture, and harmonizing or contrasting colors) are represented in lovely color plates that provide a pleasing supplement to Hillier's reassuring guidance. And when it comes to the book's focal point--arrangements suitable for the various seasons--enticing, full-page photographs illustrate each idea featured. In every instance, the allure of flowers and foliage is enhanced by a refined selection of complementary containers: stone troughs, aged terra-cotta pots, wire baskets, antique lead vessels, and glazed urns. Hillier also provides important cultural information, advice on growing conditions, and a valuable plant list for easy reference. Alice Joyce

Containing plants in boxes, baskets, and pots greatly expands a gardener's opportunities. Plant species requiring different soil compositions can be grouped in one location. Patios, roofs, stairways, and troublesome, empty spaces in the traditional garden can be transformed instantly with color, texture, and form. These two new books, both magnificiently illustrated with color photographs, demonstrate the versatility and challenges offered by container gardening. Tarling presents practical suggestions on selection and preparation of containers and shares her considerable knowledge of plant species that can best be adapted to the limitations of a contained environment. In a section devoted to various garden "situations," Tarling demonstrates the potential for plants in paved areas, balconies, steps, and window sills. Valuable botanical and artistic recommendations abound, and an appendix of key plants with descriptive notes should guide both the experienced and novice gardener. Hillier, author of The Book of Container Gardening (S. & S. 1991), has prepared a unique catalog of designs for containers with details on type and size of container and type and number of plants to be used. Hillier also discusses the elements of design, the mechanics of container preparation, and methods of enhancing special areas such as steps and walls. Hillier's book, with its ready-made designs, may have a slight advantage for the novice. Both books, however, are commendable for their artistic vision and practical gardening advice.?Laurie Bartolini, Legislative Research Unit, Springfield, Ill.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.