Pots in the Garden

Expert Design & Planting Techniques

No longer a technique just for apartment dwellers or novice gardeners, the use of ornamental containers on decks, patios, terraces, and in the garden itself can save time, space, and money, while offering experienced home gardeners unique creative challenges, site flexibility, and experimental fun. Author and award-winning horticulturist Ray Rogers takes you on an engaging exploration into basic design principles as well as how to create focal points, use water, exploit the potential of empty containers, and more. Stunning photographs by Richard Hartlage provide guidance and inspiration, as well as visually explaining each principle. Gardeners at every level of experience will find inspiration and instruction in this comprehensive book.

Media reviews of this book:

"Filled with discussions about color, form and texture, this book doesn't merely make plant and arrangement suggestions. Rather, Rogers instructs on design principles, pot-selection, planting techniques and more, inspiring the reader to find his own style and develop his own applications."

—Jessica Damiano, Newsday, January 2, 2008

"You'll get plenty of ideas from Ray Rogers' new offering, not only for what to put in pots, but also where to put them and how to combine them. There are potted plants for every situation and every taste, including those stuffed with color and texture and dramatic one-specimen containers."

—Kym Pokorny, Homes + Gardens Northwest, December 2007

"A veritable library of container plantings that teaches landscape design techniques. ... Understanding design is his first lesson before one plant is planted or one container purchased. This is what I enjoyed most ... learning how to put a garden together comes before doing it."

—Joel M. Lerner, Washington Post, December 1, 2007

"A serious book on design, and all gardeners, whether they be container-lovers or not, will get plenty out of its insights."

—Lia Leendertz, Gardens Illustrated, October 2007

"A visual blast of a book. Hartlage's photos capture an astonishing array of container pyrotechnics, with how-to-do-it by Rogers."

—Valerie Easton, Seattle Times, May 20, 2007

Customer reviews of this book:

"A very informed approach to design and display in the garden. Very useful!"

—Barry B. from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 8, 2007

"Just what I needed to get a good effect from my potted plats. Great book!"

—Suzanne S. from Caledonia, New York, July 14, 2007

"I enjoyed the book and the marvelous photographs very much! Thank you Timber Press!"

—Janet J. from Dallas, Texas, June 22, 2007

"Beautiful! Informative! Fun! Inspirational!"

—Barbara A. from Bristol, Connecticut, June 22, 2007

"Very attractive and useful!"

—Janice A. from Kingston, Washington, June 18, 2007

Read more media and customer reviews

An excerpt from this book:

How do you know when a container planting works? Perhaps simply looking at the planting gives you a positive, satisfied feeling: "It looks nice and makes me feel good taking care of it, so I like it." Or maybe you use it as a test laboratory, observing it to see how the plants grow and relate to each other, the container(s), and the surroundings: "It grows and therefore teaches me, so I like it." Perhaps, like me, you enjoy observing and analyzing your own gardening as well as others', asking yourself how a planting comes together (or not) from both design and emotive standpoints: "The colors and lines make this grouping look like lava oozing down a hillside, so I like it." Whatever your approach, what follows are several examples of container plantings and my evaluations of their design elements ...

Read the whole excerpt