Container Gardening for Dummies

“Packed with planting and design ideas that will transform even the humblest of pots into a flower festival.”

—Doug Jimerson, Editor in Chief, Garden Escape, www.garden.com

“Who better to turn to for everything you need to know about container culture than a guy who has ‘been there, done that’ for a careerful of years?”

—Joseph F. Williamson, Former Garden Editor and Managing Editor, Sunset Magazine

While historical reports of container gardening go back thousands of years, over the last half-century, this unique form of husbandry has blossomed into a pastime enjoyed by hobbyists worldwide. Millions have discovered the immense satisfaction to be found in growing something beautiful, in creating interesting combinations of plants, experimenting with new plants, and getting to know plants more intimately than they ever could with plants in the ground.

Written by leading gardening journalist Bill Marken and the experts of the National Gardening Association, Container Gardening For Dummies is the ultimate guide to cultivating charming gardens in everything from a redwood window box to a hanging basket to an old pair of cowboy boots. It fills you in on how to:

• Grow almost anything in a container
• Make greens flourish on roofs, balconies, and windowsills
• Create a one-of-a-kind garden using classic and offbeat containers
• Use the best fertilizing and watering techniques for your climate
• Grow exotic and low-maintenance cacti and succulents
• Prevent insects, pests, and diseases from invading your containers

Featuring clear, concise, step-by-step instructions and sixteen pages of stunning color photos, Container Gardening For Dummies covers all the bases, including:

• Opportunities and limitations of different climates
• Ready-made versus homemade soil mixes, starting plants from seeds, and other fundamentals
• Choosing, planting and caring for flowers, ferns, succulents, fruits, and vegetables
• Expressing your sense of style with color, form, texture, proportion, and other design elements
• Adding special effects to your container garden

Container Gardening For Dummies is a fun, informative guide for inexperienced city slickers and savvy country cousins alike.

It fills you in on how to: Grow almost anything in a container Make greens flourish on roofs, balconies, and windowsills Create a one-of-a-kind garden using classic and offbeat containers Use the best fertilizing and watering techniques for your climate Grow exotic and low-maintenance cacti and succulents Prevent insects, pests, and diseases from invading your containers Featuring clear, concise, step-by-step instructions and sixteen pages of stunning color photos, Container Gardening For Dummies covers all the bases, including: Opportunities and limitations of different climates Ready-made versus homemade soil mixes, starting plants from seeds, and other fundamentals Choosing, planting and caring for flowers, ferns, succulents, fruits, and vegetables Expressing your sense of style with color, form, texture, proportion, and other design elements Adding special effects to your container garden Container Gardening For Dummies is a fun, informative guide for inexperienced city slickers and savvy country cousins alike.

"Packed with planting and design ideas that will transform even the humblest of pots into a flower festival." — Doug Jimerson, Editor-in-Chief, Garden Escape, www.garden.com "Who better to turn to for everything you need to know about container culture than a guy who has ‘been there, done that’ for a careerful of years?" — Joseph F. Williamson, Former Garden Editor and Managing Editor of Sunset Magazine

16 Pages of Colorful Photos!

Where Does Your Garden Grow? Find out how you can cultivate a charming garden in a redwood window box, a hanging basket, or a pair of old cowboy boots with Container Gardening For Dummies^® Grow colorful plants, flowers, trees, and vegetables that will turn any gardener's thumb green with envy. Whether you're an inexperienced city dweller or his savvy country cousin, you'll love the down-to-earth tips and easy-to-follow directions for creating gorgeous container gardens in any climate. Sprout a Very Green Thumb

• Unearth winning approaches for growing almost anything in a container
• Discover how experts make greens flourish on roofs, balconies, and windowsills
• Create your own one-of-a-kind garden by using classic and offbeat containers
• Uncover the best fertilizing and watering techniques for your climate
• Grow exotic and low-maintenance cactus and succulents
• Prevent insects, pests, and diseases from invading your containers
• Find out which ten tools are ideal for working in container gardens

About the Authors Bill Marken, former Editor-in-Chief of Sunset magazine, is the Editor of Rebecca's Garden magazine and California Editor of Garden Escape (www.garden.com). He is also the recipient of the American Horticultural Society's prestigious Horticultural Communication Award. The National Gardening Association is recognized for its bimonthly National Gardening magazine and extensive work in science education for children. The Association is also the coauthor of Annuals For Dummies??, Gardening For Dummies??, Roses For Dummies??, Perennials For Dummies??, and Lawn Care For Dummies??.

Introduction.

PART I: Container Plants: To Know Them Is to Grow Them.

Chapter 1: Neat Things to Do with Container Plants.

Chapter 2: Cultivating Your Little Corner of the World.

Chapter 3: Containing Your Excitement.

PART II: How to Plant.

Chapter 4: Soil Mixes.

Chapter 5: When Plant Meets Container.

PART III: The Plants.

Chapter 6: Annuals.

Chapter 7: Perennial Pleasures.

Chapter 8: Lighting Up Containers with Bulbs.

Chapter 9: Big Shots of the Garden: Shrubs and Trees.

Chapter 10: Vegetables and Herbs.

Chapter 11: Fruits and Berries.

Chapter 12: Cactus and Succulents.

Chapter 13: Indoor Container Gardening.

PART IV: Designing and Decorating.

Chapter 14: Matchmaking, Container-Style.

Chapter 15: 12 Tested Recipes forMixed Plantings.

PART V: Special Effects.

Chapter 16: Hanging Baskets.

Chapter 17: Containers with Extra Character.

PART VI: Maintenance.

Chapter 18: Thirst Quenching.

Chapter 19: Feeding.

Chapter 20: All the Other Chores.

Chapter 21: When Bad Things Happen: Pests and Diseases.

PART VII: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 22: More Than Ten Container Plants for Special Situations.

Chapter 23: Ten Container Plants for Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

Chapter 24: Ten Handy Tools for Container Gardening.

Chapter 25: Almost Ten Words about Bonsai.

Appendix: Additional Resources.

Index.

Book Registration Information.