Containers in the Garden is a well written inspirational gardening guide to using container plantings by Claus Dalby. Due out 12th April 2022 from Quarto on their Cool Springs Press imprint, it's 176 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
The short tutorial entries are arranged roughly chronologically throughout the gardener's year. Tasks and displays are listed with very general time frames and advice is given with reference to the reader's own climate and yearly calendar. Since this book is about planting in containers, there's a lot of flexibility in timeline by using suitable pots in the greenhouse or indoors and then moving to a display area in the garden when the weather and temps are cooperative.
The author is well known for large lush groupings of containers with riotously blended colors and forms. This book is an ode to that grand style with *masses* of bulbs, perennials, and other plants cheek to cheek in stairsteps on risers, and massed groups.
Most of his containers are terra-cotta, and he discusses this in the text. It's a classic and stylish choice and allows the plants to take center stage.
There isn't a lot of very specific step-by-step tutorial information here. There's also not an overabundance of specific cultivar info. What it does provide is a fantastic and well curated cover to cover album of photo inspiration. In a lot of ways, these groupings struck me more as bouquets on a grand scale with very long lasting, movable, elements. It's more a flower arranging album than an actual gardening how-to book, and it's a niche with very few competitors. This is a wonderful book of inspiration.
Four and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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