Sink & Container Gardening: Using Dwarf Hardy Plants - Softcover

Wheeler, Chris; Wheeler, Valerie

9781861082008: Sink & Container Gardening: Using Dwarf Hardy Plants

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1861082002 ISBN 13: 9781861082008

Publisher: Guild of Master Craftsman Pubns ltd, 2001

Containers of hardy plants add color and interest to any garden--even in the smallest backyard. They require little maintenance and, with some thoughtful planning, can provide a succession of changing displays throughout the year. Make your container garden a grand success by choosing and customizing the most unique and unusual containers ever, including reconstituted stone sinks, horse troughs and baths, wooden half barrels, chimney pots, logs, and lots more. Six popular categories of plants receive detailed surveys: dwarf shrubs and conifers; grasses and sedges; perennials; alpines; bulbs; and herbs. With a wealth of helpful planting suggestions and all the practical advice any novice gardener could want. A Selection of Garden Book Club.

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From Library Journal:

Part of the "Fine Gardening Design Guides" series, Gardening in Containers is a compilation of articles that originally appeared in Fine Gardening magazine. Illustrated with beautiful color photographs, the articles range in topic from designing container gardens and selecting containers to container garden culture. Packed with ideas and information, this title is suitable for both beginning and experienced gardeners. Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces (a sequel to Lasagna Gardening, Rodale, 1999) presents Lanza's system for growing gardens in small spaces and containers using raised beds but no digging, tilling, or weeding. She briefly explains how to create these beds and then discusses ways to make the most of a small garden area, including using containers. She also provides cultural information on various flowers, vegetables, herbs, fruits, berries, and rock garden plants and suggests specific varieties suitable for growing in small spaces and in containers. Clear, detailed information and an engaging style make this book a pleasure to read. While most container gardening books highlight annuals and perennials used as annuals in plantings, the Wheelers suggest growing dwarf hardy plants. They cover choosing and grouping containers as well as plant selection and design. They also give instructions for making hypertufa containers and for maintaining general container gardens. Their book concludes with ten detailed plans for planted containers and plant descriptions. This British import contains lovely photographs, but the plant descriptions do not include USDA hardiness zones and make virtually no mention of how to overwinter your creations in cold climates. Gardening in Containers and Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces are recommended for all libraries, while the Wheelers' book is recommended for experienced gardeners who don't mind searching out hardiness ratings and overwintering information. Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., IL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review:

Large gardens, small gardens, window sills, front steps: all provide areas for planted containers to brighten up and provide seasonal interest. From dwarf shrubs and trees to the tiniest alpine plant, displayed in an attractive pot or trough, they bring an instant splash of colour or form to an otherwise empty area. Whilst in theory any plant can be grown in a container, the dwarf plants are happier and easier to please using this growing medium. Herbs, perennials and bulbs are all ideal subjects and are discussed in depth but the most striking are the sinks and troughs of alpines. The perfection of these tiny jewels can only truly be seen in miniature landscapes such as those provided in sinks, pans and troughs. They can be kept clean, protected and, being slightly raised, appreciated more. Sempervivums and sedums tend to look their best grown in pans either mixed together to create a tapestry of foliage or individually in groups. The authors, Chris and Valerie Wheeler, are both trained horticulturalists and run a nursery specialising in dwarf hardy plants so speak with authority on a the subject of sink and container gardening. Photographed by Chris all sorts of ingenious plantings are shown and the attractive drawings of Melanie Clitheroe offer further ideas. Due to the recent plethora of gardening books on container gardening, I feel that this book would have benefited from confining itself just to sinks and troughs. Where they do depart from these feels slightly disparate, the authors' main interest of alpines being so obvious. However, the professional advice on how to plant and display containers is far superior to other similar books which merely present a superficial picture for a seasonal planter rather than a long-term planting and the book offers many attractive inspirations for gardeners of all abilities.

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