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Sara Begg & Roanne Robbins's Continuous Container Gardening Reviewed By Allan Becker of Bookpleasures.com
- By Allan Becker
- Published April 27, 2011
- Homes & Gardens
Allan Becker
Reviewer Allan Becker: Allan has been designing and planting flower gardens, since he was a teenager in the 1960's. Now retired from the soft goods industry, where he held several positions in design, product development, and marketing, he has turned his passion for gardening into a second career, as a garden designer for private clients in Montreal, Canada.
In spring and summer, he provides his assistants, most college students, who transform his designs into flower gardens. In winter, he reviews books on garden-related topics for Bookpleasures.com and writes a Gardening Blog.
Allan earned a B.A. from McGill University, followed by two years of studies in design at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia). He lives in the Montreal suburb of Cote St. Luc, Quebec with his wife and travels regularly to Toronto and Boston to visit his children and grandchildren.
Authors: Sara Begg & Roanne Robbins
Publisher: Storey
Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-60342-702-9
Traditional gardeners better hold onto their hats because this book will provide a roller coaster of a ride as the authors present a new treatment for an established style of gardening. According to the publisher, the authors submit
…an innovative system for creating stylish container gardens that can change with the seasons with a minimum of fuss. They begin with a “main-stage” plant — a woody plant, garden ornament, or eye-catching perennial – and then add a secondary player for texture and variety. As the seasons change, they show how easy it is to swap plants in and out for a dynamic display that looks great year-round. Their simple approach yields endless variations, seasonal bursts of color, and varied textures that echo the ever-changing beauty of nature. The book features designs for twelve containers, each with a unique plan for swapping plants every season, for a total of 48 exciting looks.
Essential to the theme of this book is that for container gardens to be sustaining, annuals won’t do. The continuous container garden is less of a colorful floral composition and more of a mini-garden inspired by the nature surrounding a home. To that end, the focus is on perennials and their foliage, ornamental and evergreen shrubs, and ornamental trees that grow less than 25 feet tall. Pretty flowers are considered a bonus, a small decorative splash.
.However, one of the requisites of this philosophy of container planting is that one must be prepared to move plants in and out of containers as the seasons dictate. In addition, trees and shrubs might require their roots to be trimmed in order for them to remain pot – friendly, as they mature. Some perennials will require dividing. Therefore, while this innovative form of miniature gardening is refreshing, it is not targeting the busy multi-tasking homeowner. For as little work as it takes to maintain these pots, there is a greater commitment to transform them as the season changes. Dedicated and passionate gardeners, with time on their hands, will be delighted with the results.