CONTAINER GARDENS. A book review

The garden editors at Southern Living have produced a comprehensive guide to container planting which should be a useful addition to every gardener's bookshelf. If you have ever struggled with trying to keep a container alive during a hot dry summer then you maybe you need to get back to basics.

From pot selection and preparation, soil selection, and plant choices, there is also a section on how to mend that treasured cracked or broken pot. Once you have mastered the basics covered in the first chapter you can move on to creating a stunning planter for every situation. Ever heard that expression that you should have a thriller, spiller and filler? Not all pots should follow this rule. Find out which plants look good as a single planting.

There is plenty of eye candy as expected. The book covers most locations where you would use outdoor pots.  Even within the same garden one has to be mindful of sun, shade, wet or dry conditions. But, I was a little disappointed there was a lack of coverage for those who live in the drier parts of the south where there are even some desert areas. Yes, a few close-up shots of succulents in smaller pots but no larger containers of agaves and succulents which I know can be spectacular.  Container plantings that require little or no waterings is absent as well as a section on irrigation.

Roughly half of the book is dedicated to indoor plantings before moving on to the outdoor containers for edibles. At the very least everyone should have a container of herbs outside their back door.

I was sent this book to review and, as a gardener of many years, I believe that, despite those omissions I mentioned, this book should give both seasoned or beginning gardeners a good foundation for creating stunning container gardens.

Container Gardens, published by Oxmoor House, was released March 7 2017, $21.95.