Small Gardens with Encyclopedia of Container Plants by Ray Rogers

For container gardeners, whether growing flowers, houseplants or food, The Encyclopedia of Container Plants: More than 500 Outstanding Choices for Gardeners belongs on their reference shelf of garden books. This 2010 garden book by garden writer and award winning horticulturist, Ray Rogers, is a comprehensive plant list covering 180 genera. Garden photographer Rob Cardillo visually records the plant combinations ensuring readers to be inspired.

The Encyclopedia of Container Plants has been assembled for gardeners who grow small gardens inside a pot instead of in the ground. Rogers has compiled his plant list running the gambit from annual to perennial, aquatic to succulent and woody shrub to climber and trailer.

Comprehensive Plants List for Container Gardeners

Before the roughly two-thirds of the book that is the comprehensive plants list, the A-to-Z Directory, Rogers explains the encyclopedia’s format in the Introduction. Container gardeners will find useful reminders, or new information for beginning growers, about what makes gardening in pots different. The Gallery of Inspired Containers follows with a collection of container gardens diagrammed with photos and plant recipes.

In the A, Abutilon, to Z, Zinnia, Plant Directory, the entries are alphabetized by botanical names followed by the common and family names. Among the detailed information in each entry, readers find cultural needs for the plant, best ways to propagate and disease and insect problems discussed. Each plant entry has several photos depicting unique characteristics and growing in a container, whether a mixed planting or a monopot.

Rogers’ comprehensive plants list spans Alternanthera and Acalypha, each commonly called Joseph’s coat to Echeveria and Sempervirum, each referred to as hens and chicks. The Begonia entry is more than two pages long, as it is an annual, bulb or tropical plant depending on how the container gardener grows his plants.

Unlike Adrian Bloom’s perennials garden book where perennials are the focus, in The Encyclopedia of Container Plants, perennials are for small gardens. Growing in a container garden does include the Hosta, Heuchera and Polygonatum, says Rogers.

Vining Plant Ideas for Growing in Containers

Rogers writes about many vining plants in his The Encyclopedia of Container Plants and it would be unusual to not find annual vines in a book about container gardens. However, here Allamanda cathastica, Aristolochia the Dutchman’s pipe, Passiflora of passionflower fame and Hedera, the popular English ivy, will fit in smaller plantings.

Although a more detailed garden read on vining plants is Armitage’s Vines and Climbers, Rogers’ chose vining plants from the perspective of a container gardener’s vision.

Vegetables and Herbs Fit in Potted Gardens

Container gardeners have already figured out that vegetables and herbs fit well into potted gardens. But, Rogers uses plants like the Beta beets and Swiss chard; Brassica kale, cabbage or mustard; Cynara artichoke and cardoon and Lactuca lettuce for the form and color, as well as function.

Seasoned container gardeners will find their well of ideas infused with artistry from reading this container garden book, even if sensible food growing dictates their favorite style, a kitchen potted garden.

Award-winning Horticulturist and Garden Photographer

Garden writer and award-winning horticulturist, Ray Rogers is the author of Coleus: Rainbow Foliage for Containers and Gardens and Pots in the Garden. Rogers is a regular contributor to American Gardener magazine, Green Scene and American Cottage Gardening.

Rob Cardillo has been a garden photographer for more than 20 years. Cardillo’s work has been published in books such as the 2007, Foliage by Nancy J. Ondra and, as director of photography, at Organic Gardening.

The Encyclopedia of Container Plants Garden Book

The Encyclopedia of Container Plants: More than 500 Outstanding Choices for Gardeners was written by Ray Rogers and photographed by Rob Cardillo. The Timber Press garden book was published September 15, 2010. The 344 paged-book has more than twice that number of photos and the index can be used to look up plants by botanical and common names.

Container gardeners will value reading a book written by Ray Rogers for his long-time experience in growing plants in confined garden spaces. Interested gardeners can find this book using ISBN 978-0-88192-962-1or ISBN10:088192962X2101.