Simple and foolproof! Enjoy beautiful container plantings with no stress or fuss. Container Theme Gardens offers 42 plans for container arrangements, each using just five specific plants that you can find at your local garden center. There's something here for every setting and every style, including a meadow in a box, a pond in a pot, a simple salad garden, and a combination that will attract hummingbirds. Each plan includes photographs of what the full planting will look like, as well as a handy shopping list so you know exactly what you need. With professional gardener Nancy J. Ondra as the guide, anyone (green thumb or not) can plant designer container gardens using just five plants carefully selected to be perfect partners. From elegant whites to rich reds and stunning succulents to wonderful window boxes, these 42 designs offer the perfect combination for every home style, container, and taste. Nancy J. Ondra, author of Container Theme Gardens, is a garden writer and editor as well as the former owner and operator of a small rare-plant nursery. She is the author or co-author of a dozen gardening books, including Foliage (winner of the 2008 Book Award from the American Horticultural Society), The Perennial Gardener's Design Primer (winner of a 2006 Silver Award from the Garden Writers Association), Five-Plant Gardens, The Perennial Care Manual, Fallscaping, and Grasses. She currently gardens in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and blogs at www.hayefield.com.
Rob Cardillo has been photographing gardens, plants, and the people who tend them for more than 20 years. Formerly the director of photography at Organic Gardening, he now works for major publishers, horticultural suppliers, and landscape designers throughout the United States. Visit him at robcardillo.com. Why Try Containers?
Nine Reasons to Try Containers
Basics of Container Gardening
Playing with Color
Five-Part Harmony of Color
Bold Contrast
Pretty in Pastel
Rich Reds
Orange All Over
Growing Sunshine
Singin' the Blues
Regal Purple
Elegant Whites
Sparkling Silvers
Back to Black
Through the Seasons
Spring Cheer
All-Summer Color
Autumn's Brilliance
Winter Wonders
Year-Round Interest
Location, Location, Location
Made for Shade
Beat the Heat
Balcony Beauties
Designed to Attract
Hummingbird Haven
Butterfly Banquet
Kid Attraction
Small Wonders
A Mini Meadow
Pond in a Pot
Magic in Miniature
Fun and Colorful Edibles
Salad on Deck
Herbs on the Windowsill
A Pot of Tea
Bursting with Berries
Special Themes
Just Right for Night
Living Perfume
Asian-Inspired Beauty
All about the Plants
Annual Appeal
Perennial Punch for Shade
Tropical Sunset
Lovely Leaves
All about the Container
Terra-Cotta Charm
The Versatile Plastic Pot
Copper Beauty
Cemented in Place
Country Hardwood
Eye-Catching Ceramic
Index The Perfect Mix
Container gardening is rewarding and easy, even for those with limited space and time. All you have to do is choose a container and one of Nancy Ondra's creative five-plant themes.
You might be drawn to a favorite color, like elegant white or soft blue. Or you might be looking for something just right for a sunny balcony or that shady spot on the deck. Perhaps you dream of creating a haven for hummingbirds or a banquet for butterflies, a night-blooming wonder or a fragrant container of herbs for tea. In every case, Ondra has a beautiful combination of just the right five plants for any season, situation, or taste.
