Customer Reviews

Potted Gardens: A Fresh Approach to Container Gardening

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I bought this book when I decided to start a container garden on my deck. I returned it the moment I got it. It just didn't have what I was looking for. Although it has some stuff that is pretty to look at it didn't provide the instruction that I wanted and needed. I wasn't impressed in the least. I found a book that outshines this one in every way. It's David Joyce's Complete Container Garden. A huge book with wonderful ideas and photographs. The best part is that it gives step by step instructions on how to duplicate A LOT of the arrangements. I am very proud of my new deck and it is because of that book. I learned a lot. It has all of the info a beginner would need yet it is interesting enough for someone who has gardened forever. Potted Gardens, by Rebecca Cole can't compare.

Lots of little anecdotes about Rebecca Cole, but as an inspiration for container gardening, this book is a bomb. If you like cute, this might be your cup of tea, but if you want to create a garden that's something special, this book won't help. Lots of marigolds and petunias in cast-off containers, but nothing new or noteworthy in the plant department. Try Gardening without a Garden by Gay Search or 50 Recipes for Container Gardens by Richard Bird.

Rebecca Cole's imagination soars when it comes to potted gardens! I love the way she sees containers in everyday items--including items headed for the trash! Hurray for Rebecca and giving me new vision for my garden.

With two semi-black thumbs and not much of a penchant for backbreaking work in the garden, I was hesitant to try my hand once again at container gardening--even if it would be for one last time. But POTTED GARDENS opened up a whole new world of gardening to me! Rebecca Cole finds unique and often humorous containers everywhere she goes--and now so do I! I see containers in old coffee pots, and buckets, and boxes; in wooden shoes and tin watering cans. You simply need to open your eyes to Ms Cole's vision of what container, terrace, patio, and potted gardens were meant to be. I recommend this book to weekend and serious gardeners alike.

I love this book! I bought it for my mother and aunt as a Christmas present. I first saw it at the library and took notes as I read. It inspired me to think of gardening in a whole new light. The tips are easy to follow and the pictures were amazing. Gardening no longer seemed hard. Instead it became fun!

I eagerly awaited publication of Potted Gardens for more than a year. Preliminary review of the photos showed me the style and apearance this book would take. I was not privy to any of the actual writing. The author, my sister, has written a great book. Certainly, I am a proud brother yet I can unabashedly attest to a tightly written, fact-filled book loaded with advice for starting your own potted gardens.

The book starts with a history of the author emerging as an unpretentious gardener. She also describes her penchant for collecting things such as antiques, old containers, and just plain junk. Potted Gardens, the store, and now the book evolved as the marriage of these two passions. The book tease and urges you to dig into the dirt and plant your own garden. Many "how to" sections explain the steps. Advice on buying supplies, on what to plant together, on how to prepare the containers, and even how to develop an eye for the beauty of it all can be found in Rebecca's book.

Rebecca Cole and the photographer Richard Felber collaborated to create wonderful photos. The photography will keep the reader coming back for further inspiration. The book is subtitled, "A fresh approach to container gardening." It is that.

review by Geoffrey P. Cole,MD