Sunset Books' Container Gardening, by Vicki Webster and the editor of Sunset Books, has some wonderful tips, guidelines, and ideas for creating container gardens in different areas of your home, patio, and yard. As a guide for these areas it is excellent, but when it tries to be an all-encompassing guide to container gardening it falls short. With only 128 pages it certainly can't cover everything about container gardening, and so the chapters titled The Basics and Care and Maintenance are disappointing. For a seasoned container gardener the information given in the first and last chapters is, well, very basic, and for a novice there isn't enough information to really help one jump in successfully. But the remaining four chapters in between are real gems.

Chapter One, The Basics, covers such things as choosing containers by size, shape, and material, and emphasizes the need for good drainage. There are a few good tips here, but the topics are skimmed over and there is not a lot of substance. The chapter also covers potting mixes, and here the information is a little more detailed. There is a discussion of how much potting mix is needed to fill various sizes of containers, a discussion of soil based vs. soilless mixes, and the specific potting mix needs of some plant types. There is also a discussion on how to use the new water-holding polymer crystals in your potting mixes.

Chapters Two through Five of the book are my favorites. Chapter Two, Entryways, has many beautiful photos of front porches, steps, and entry gates with containers of flowers and greenery in the Spring, Summer and Fall. There are many great design ideas shown and even a before and after photo of one particularly inviting front entry. The chapter also recommends using sweet fragrance to make the entry especially inviting, and has a list of many fragrant flowers which do well in containers.

Chapter Three focuses on Decks and Porches. There are many great design ideas for turning these spaces into inviting outdoor rooms, ranging from the formal to the relaxed and contemporary. There are tips for handling a windy area, for long and narrow spaces, and also linking the area to the broader landscape with your choice of plants and container style. The specialty plants listed in this chapter are plants inviting to butterflies and hummingbirds, and a list titled Longtime Favorites giving nineteen simple annuals and tender perennials which do well in containers.

Chapter Four is devoted to Patios, Courtyards and Terraces. This chapter covers many issues related to these areas, such as too much sunlight and too little and how to deal with them. The Design Primer section includes several useful tips, including using a limited number of pastel colors, or large plants in the foreground and smaller ones in the background, to make a small space appear bigger. Also included are ideas for going vertical using wall plantings, ladders, and baskets of trailing plants up high to fill a tall space. One page is devoted to Espalier, and the final two pages cover planting an evening garden room with a list of white-flowering plants ideal for this.

Chapter Five covers Roof Gardens and Balconies. There are many challenges specific to container gardens in these areas, such as increased exposure to the elements and weight factors. Several ideas are given for filtering wind and for supporting and tying down your plants and furnishings. Included is a list of wind-hardy trees and shrubs good for a windy container garden. Also discussed are ways to lighten the load or distribute the weight so your garden, and roof or balcony, will be safe.

Chapter Six has several Container Plant Projects to try out, including a mobile patio table planted in a wheelbarrow, a party centerpiece of multiple thyme cultivars with a central candle, and more standard combinations of potted flowers, grasses and succulents. The chapter showcases beautiful photos of bountiful containers alongside the lists of what is planted where within them. It includes large and small containers, window boxes, hanging baskets, and water gardens.

Chapter Seven covers the Care and Maintenance of container gardens. With only twenty-three pages it can't go into much detail but it does touch on a wide range of topics, including watering and drip irrigation, feeding and fertilizers, caring for trees, shrubs and perennials, pruning and staking, dividing perennials, pests and diseases, and winterizing. Though it doesn't go into any great detail, it does touch on most major issues you may encounter and starts you off in the right direction.

Though Sunset Container Gardening is not an all-around reference book for gardening in containers, it is certainly a worthwhile reference for design ideas and tips for gardening in every possible outdoor area of your home. It contains several tips and tricks which even a well-seasoned container gardener will appreciate, and the photos are outstanding.