P. Allen Smith's Container Gardens: 60 Container Recipes ... (ISBN 1400053439)

Nice book for a beginner....:
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.

Split Decision:
The front section of the book, with its glossy format, is a visual treat. The latter portion, with its faded photographs and mossy contrasts in typeset and paper color made me wonder if I had received a misprinted copy of the book. Not only will the planted containers need good light, I'll need it to read about how to put them together!

Wonderful Book:
My husband and I bought this book after seeing it at my brothers and love everything about it. You don't have to be a designer to make beautiful arrangements.

very pleased:
I was very pleased with my recent order of P.Allen Smith's Container Gardens. The condition was excellent, better than I had found at my local book store. I recieved the book quicker than expected. The purchase was a very positive experience.

Fantastic "recipes":
This book has the best "recipes" for containers I have seen. They are made from easy to get plants. You can see how to change color schemes. They are intended to look finished and full right away, but once again, changing the number of plants to allow time for the container to grow into a full look is easy to figure out. Advice is very practical. You don't have to buy unusual or very expensive plants to get a great look with this book.