Herbs in Pots: Artful and Practical Herbal Containers (ISBN 1883010527)

Sweet little book...:
HERBS IN POTS by Rob Proctor and David Macke is a sweet little book filled with all sorts of "neat" ideas. If you don't have much experience growing plants in containers or otherwise, pots of herbs are a good place to begin. Even if you have limited space, as long as you have plenty of sunlight (a balcony in the blazing sun?) you can grow herbs in pots. If you end up buying your herbs at Whole Foods, you can use the recipes the authors share and put your herbs in the cooking pot. This is a beautiful glossy book with lots of color photos. The authors are folksy and fun to read and they provide text and pictures that explain how you too can grow beautiful pots of herbs and use them in tasty dishes. Chapter one discusses 'Herbal Care' where practical hints are provided for the new herb grower. Take watering for example. Even drought tolerent herbs require watering. On the other hand, depending on the pot of choice, overwatering can cause problems. The authors note the most likely cause of death is not Mother Nature, but Mother Hen overwatering her pots. The second chapter is entitled 'The Cook's Patio' and contains photos of handome lettuces, lacy kale, and Italian parsley, as well as many interesting recipes. One can grow herbs singly or in groups in a single pot. Herbs provide accents for the cooking pot as well as the patio. Gazpacho or Pesto anyone? The later half of the book provides the reader with examples of pot containers, planting designs, and eclectic notions. For example, one might plant herbs in used Twining tea tins or enhance plant containers with odd paraphanalia such as shells and small rocks. The book is visually appealing, and contains some of the most original ideas I've come across in a while. This is a nice gift item for a new homemaker.