Customer Reviews

Pots in the Garden: Expert Design & Planting Techniques

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

 

 

(This review focuses on the photographs in "Pots in the Garden.")
Picture quality is very good throughout the book, and in parts I and II ("the elements of design" and "bringing it all together") the picture content is excellent as well.
Unlike most container gardening books this one neither details container plantings nor uses captions, instead it inconspicuosly numbers each picture and then conspicuosly puts the number in the text with its corresponding description. Garden styles represented vary but the bold, Little-and-Lewis-type modernists lead the way, and even if this isn't your favorite style of garden you will probably love the containers featured in them!
What really sets this book apart is the variety of pots featured. Terra cotta and stone/concrete are great, and the English gardening books display some wonderful copper and lead, but those of you who especially love high quality glazed/rustic containers and know that it is not all that easy to find good examples of them will be happy to add this book to your collection.
The reasons I didn't give 5 stars are the book's slightly smallish size (9 1/4 x 8 1/2) and its 3rd part ("plant groups for containers") which, though it has some very interesting and unique plant picks (dark purple/black perennial clematis?), does not show most of them in containers; admittedly difficult to do, but David Joyce's "The Complete Container Garden" sure did it well. That's about eighty pages where pots are rarely pictured.
Overall a beautiful and inspiring book at a very good price.

The book is an excellent reference source. Photos are beautiful. Numbering the pictures with the description very helpful. Lovely coffee table book. I have told other gardeners to seek the book out.

I purchased several gardening books together and this one was the highlight. Not only beautifully photographed but full of interesting suggestions and writing. My husband and I were able to immediately use some of the arrangements as inspiration for a new bed in our garden. Turned out beautifully!

Yet another really fine book from Timber Press. I'll spend long, dark winter evenings wandering through these pages, absorbing the wisdom of the writers and generating ideas for next spring. Gorgeous photographs, too.

If you've ever wondered how to choose colors of flowers and plants for eye-catching arrangements of containers on your patio, balcony or garden this book is for you. Rogers shows you how to make colorful arrangements without having to hire a professional designer.

Rogers makes you think through the process of container gardening before you start for the most impact. His coverage of using spot color to accent home features and smart use of space is well done.

Rogers understands gardeners may have to work with space or time limitations and he addresses those concerns realistically. This is a great reference with many beautiful color photos you can copy for your own home.

Based on sample download, the e-version of this book is inadequate. The photographs are blurry and pixelated. Not sure why the publisher or Amazon is trying to sell this book this way.

If I could, I'd own all the books with beautiful and creative garden ideas. Glad I got this one!

If you have limited space or just want some new ideas on container gardening you'll appreciate this book. Clear, colorful pictures along with plant names including the Latin (yeah!) should give you plenty of inspiration. Mr. Rogers includes basic design elements: color, space and texture. In addition, the importance of creating a focal point and bringing it all together as well as the pros and cons are examined.

Whether it is annuals or perennials, succulants or tropicals, bulbs or climbers; you'll find something for everyone. Who would have thought burro's tail sedum could look so nice? What about giving thanks for baskets with liners or old wheelbarrows with holes? You'll learn to look at things with a different light. I now enjoy complimenting colors especially various shades of greens, something I would have ignored ten years ago. For me, learning about texture was a big plus that I have often underestimated.

At over 200 pages the only thing not included is incorporating fruits and vegetables but there are other great books on those themes. Written for all gardeners no matter where you live, you should be able to adapt many of Roger's ideas. Look closely for interesting containers using silver spheres, concrete blocks and bamboo canes. Just make sure that you have a good source of pots of many shapes and sizes before you read this book: you'll want to start immediately.


My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~H. Fred Dale

The book, Pots in the Garden: Expert Design and Planting, by Ray Rogers, is an excellent, informative book with beautiful pictures of arrangements of pots. We just had a new patio put in behind our house and I'm anxious for spring to start potting up beautiful plants to decorate the patio. The book is also well written and easy to understand and visualize. I recommend it highly - but be ready to spend lots of money on pots!!

lovely book with lots of interesting information and ideas,might have to use some different plants to suit the north coast of ireland.I look forward to putting some of the ideas into practice in spring 2008.
Many thanks,
john montgomery.