Container gardening is ideally suited to today's lifestyles--it provides the excitement, versatility, and variety of in-the-ground gardening to those with limited space, time, and resources. But in order to make the most of container gardening, aspiring gardeners--whether rank beginners or seasoned veterans--need to know precisely which plants perform best in containers; just as importantly, they need to know how to grow them well.

Author Ray Rogers is the ideal guide to this world of colorful possibilities. An award-winning container gardener and horticulturist, he profiles more than 500 outstanding plants in 180 genera. Along with Rogers's engaging descriptions, the entries include each plant's height and spread; light, moisture, temperature, and soil requirements; ease and rate of growth; principal interest and design attributes; potential problems; and best method of propagation. To this abundance of useful information, Rob Cardillo's stunning photographs add a wealth of visual inspiration.

Success with container gardening isn't always instantly achieved--it's easy to be seduced by brightly flowering plants at a nursery or garden center that turn out to be unsuited to the growing conditions provided for them, or that make poor companions for their pot-mates. Even a brief dip into this authoritative reference, however, is sure to yield a host of plants that will show just how spectacular a well-grown--and carefully chosen--container garden can be.