Container gardening is ideally suited to today’s lifestyles—it provides the excitement, versatility, and variety of in-the-ground gardening to those with limited space, time, and resources. But in order to make the most of container gardening, aspiring gardeners—whether rank beginners or seasoned veterans—need to know precisely which plants perform best in containers; just as importantly, they need to know how to grow them well.

Author Ray Rogers is the ideal guide to this world of colorful possibilities. An award-winning container gardener and horticulturist, he profiles more than 500 outstanding plants in 180 genera. Along with Rogers’s engaging descriptions, the entries include each plant’s height and spread; light, moisture, temperature, and soil requirements; ease and rate of growth; principal interest and design attributes; potential problems; and best method of propagation. To this abundance of useful information, Rob Cardillo’s stunning photographs add a wealth of visual inspiration.

Success with container gardening isn’t always instantly achieved—it’s easy to be seduced by brightly flowering plants at a nursery or garden center that turn out to be unsuited to the growing conditions provided for them, or that make poor companions for their pot-mates. Even a brief dip into this authoritative reference, however, is sure to yield a host of plants that will show just how spectacular a well-grown—and carefully chosen—container garden can be.

 

Ray Rogers has won 397 blue ribbons and 88 top awards (including 5 Best in Show) for container-grown plants at the Philadelphia International Flower Show. After a career in public horticulture with the Morris Arboretum and the American Horticultural Society, he turned to garden writing, speaking, and editing. He is the author of Coleus and Pots in the Garden and the editor of several major gardening titles published by Dorling Kindersley. He holds a master’s degree in horticulture and is an avid hybridizer of Hippeastrum, better known as amaryllis. Visit him at www.showplants.net.

“A useful resource for designers interested in working with container gardens.” —Landscape Architecture

“Container gardeners will value reading a book written by Ray Rogers for his long-time experience in growing plants in confined garden spaces.” —Suite101.com

“A practical resource for all levels of gardeners, from the rank beginner to the seasoned veteran.” —SciTech Book News

“The book’s strength is its wide array of styles from tropical bravado to simple and subtle with succulent troughs.” —The Seattle Times

“Will inspire beginning and experienced gardeners who are looking for great container gardening ideas.” —Muskogee Phoenix

“Likely to inspire you to get up and make lists, or stay awake planning your own new plant combinations. If you have a smidgen of the gardening gene, you will enjoy having this book. It serves admirably much of the time as the requisite hefty and lavishly illustrated coffee-table book we often need to display. But it’s always handy for you to enjoy and absorb bits of gardening ideas.” —Northside Sun

“Will show you how to have a gorgeous containers that will stay that way.” —Buffalo Spree