Gardening on Pavement, Tables, and Hard Surfaces

Gardening on Pavement, Tables, and Hard Surfaces is the first book to describe how to grow garden plants directly on hard surfaces such as pavement, rocks, tables, and other impermeable platforms. Plants have known all along that they can grow on these media, and George Schenk translates this small miracle into practical language for gardeners. With just a few inches of soil, gardens can be created almost anywhere. Tabletops can serve as the foundation for small rock gardens; ground covers can grow vigorously on concrete; even bonsai can thrive directly on decorative stone. Using extensive photos, plant lists, and step-by-step instructions, the author shows how every gardener can adopt this charming, vibrant, and beautiful style of planting.

Media reviews of this book:

"The photos that illustrate this clever idea are so gorgeous that ever since [I saw them] I have been harboring the idea to do the same."

—Kathy Renwald, Toronto Star, November 23, 2006

"The latest offering by George Schenk is a honey of a book, both practical and whimsical."

—Linda Hillegass, Fine Gardening, March/April 2005

"Living in a concrete jungle? This book's solution: Grow a garden on it...highlights innovative gardens where you least expect them, miniature worlds in outlandish places, as quirky as they are captivating."

—Lili Singer, Los Angeles Times, September 2, 2004

"City gardeners in particular should find a lot of useful informationin this book."

—Science News, July 31, 2004

"George Shenk...has proven that plants can grow on these media with the proper care."

—National Gardener, July 2004

Customer reviews of this book:

"What a great book! It's exactly what I need, because I have a huge paved area to deal with. I had no idea such a book existed. Thanks for publishing it."

—Ellen D. from Ottawa, Ontario, March 23, 2008

"Just a wonderful book! A comprehensive book with doable, practical information."

—Christine D. from New Haven, Connecticut, May 9, 2006

"Excellent book for architects, designers, and people surrounded by concrete and urban spaces."

—Jose S. from San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 7, 2006

"This book will never leave my side! Ideas for a lifetime!"

—R. B. from Rochester, New York, March 25, 2005

"Wonderful book. I had to purchase it because I kept borrowing it from the library. Schenk is superb."

—Don C. from Seattle, Washington, July 28, 2004

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An excerpt from this book:

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the sensational, levitational, larger-than-life art of table gardening." There may be enough of the amazing in table gardening to justify such an introduction in the florid voice of an emcee. But in quieter terms, table gardening is the growing of plants directly on a table without the use of pots or other containers, an art that provides gardening opportunities virtually unavailable by any other means. For instance, there is the scenic tabletop landscape made up of plants of suitable size (not overly large), often in a composition with stones. An artful tabletop landscape invites that same charmed entry into a different and refreshing world that we also find in any garden big enough to walk within and effective enough to offer us transport ...

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