Customer Reviews

P. Allen Smith's Container Gardens: 60 Container Recipes to Accent Your Garden

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read how-to books that had pretty pictures and were very inspiring but in the end still left me wondering how-to. This is not one of those books. Yes, there are lovely photos. And yes, I did feel moved to get out there and get my hands dirty. However, it also contains very detailed, specific instructions on how to create the container gardens illustrated. There was also some more general information on how I could adapt the given recipes to my own ideas. I recommend this book highly.

P. Allen Smith is back and he is still wearing that blue shirt and khaki pants but at least his ideas for container gardening are more colorful. His second book pretty much follows the same format as his first - glossy pages in front and a section of thick paper pages in back. As with the first, the photographs are outstanding.

This is a book of "recipes" for putting together beautiful color-coordinated containers with contrasting foliage. Some of the containers are more beautiful than the plants themselves and may prompt many readers to start shopping for their planters at antique sales. Each recipe spells out the ingredients - the type container and number and quantity of each plant. A photo and list of tips are also included.

The latter section of the book is quite informative and contains articles on stocking a potting shed (hmmm, the first item is a copy of his Garden Home Journal), selecting the right container for the setting, how to "age" a container, clean terra-cotta pots, waterproof containers, plant a standard pot, a hanging basket and a window box, and a plant directory of all the plants he mentions in the book.

It is quite obvious that these gorgeous containers were put together with plants fresh from the nursery (or florist) and I question how some of them would look after the growing season kicks in. For example, he recommends using the rose "La Marne" in one arrangement and even though he is using a large container, I know that this rose gets quite large and I'm not sure how it would look surrounded by coleus and petunias!?! The same goes for other plants like Kopper King hibiscus, etc. Still, I'm sure a lot of it is trial and error and if you want a book to inspire, this one will surely do it.

What's not to like about P.Allen Smith's approach to gardening? A favorite of Public Television fans, and the fellow who pops up on the Weather channel, Smith is a font of information for the new home gardener. In his nifty new book CONTAINER GARDENS he shows once again that he has many answers to questions the novice might have about a particular topic. Smith follows the seasons of the year discussing what you might display when spring arrives (bulbs and other spring flowers), summer heat bakes everything (some plants like it hot), fall colors the garden, and winter deposits snow and icicles. I must confess, I generally empty most of my pots when late fall arrives as few are frost proof, but I have purchased some containers in recent years that can weather the coldest temperatures and their contents survive freezing. Smith discusses the pots and pot materials you can use to defy temperature extremes be they hot or cold.

Smith suggests winter is the time when the garden is most subtle with its barks, berries and winter blooms, and last year I prepared a few winter containers using ideas he describes in this book. For one thing, pansies seem to be able to stand cold weather and often on a mild winter day their cheerful little faces pop through the snow to greet you. Some bulbs like Galanthus (snow drops) and Scilla will bloom early and give you a hint of the nice weather to come. Hellebores (and Crocus in my Virginia garden) are famous for their winter appearance, as noted in the Christmas carol "Lo a Rose Er Blooming" and small evergreen plants such as miniature hollies and needled trees also can be used to great effect. You can also try your hand at indoor pots. If you work outdoors, the key is to use a weatherproof container so the contents don't freeze and crack the sides of the pot. Smith's book is a great book for beginners and those of us who have been gardening a while.

As a novice gardener, I found this book to be very informative and easy to read. Planting in pots for appearance and texture to suit my climate and zone make an easy beginner garden. P. Allen Smith offers many ideas that spark my own imagination and creativy. I enjoy owning this book!
Cathy Leonard

I bought this book as a gift for my grandmother and she loved it! The pictures are great and the step by step instructions are a perfect guide for beginner and even experienced gardeners like my grandma. The high quality of the book makes it a terrific gift!

Book came in great condition and on time. Book looked new and the seller describe the book's condition to the T. Thank you so much. You made me happy....

This was for my 63 yr old mother who loves to plant flowers. When she received it, she said she had been thinking about buying it. Perfect gift!

This is a really good book if you're going to make your own containers. The pictures and recipes are very helpful for making your own designs and for adapting to your zone. I checked this book out at the library so many times, i finally decided to purchase a copy for myself. I wish Mr. Smith would do a new edition with more recipes.

I liked this book for the plant "recipes" in large containers because my patio blooms all year round here in Florida. The photos in this book are outstanding and when I'm not using it as a reference book, it resides on my beautiful coffee table for others to browse and enjoy.

P. Allen Smith's Container Gardens: 60 container recipes to accent your garden
Clarkson Potter
ISBN 1-4000-5343-9

Yes, you do get in this book 60 reasonably practical container recipes, each complete with a large colour photograph (plants clearly labelled), a diagram of the planted container and list of plants required. There is also some accompanying text which you can skip; it adds very little to your understanding of the recipe.
About three quarters of the book is devoted to two-page, full-colour glossy presentations of each container design, presented by season throughout the year.
The remainder of the book is information about potting sheds, plant care and a plant directory. This section is not glossy, not in full colour, and does not relate visually to the rest of the book. In fact the illustrations and much of the text is hidden behind a muddy yellow wash that made me wonder if my eyes were playing tricks on me. I don't know what the book designer/art director was smoking but the result is horrible.
What you have here is a large format, coffee table book with a photo of a cute young guy (shirt open) on the front. If you need yet another book about container gardening, or if you like to have a picture of a cute young guy gazing dreamily up at you from your coffee table, then by all means buy this book.