Creative Container Gardener

I have a shelf full of gardening books with lots of pretty full color pictures of idealized gardens, but this book is by far my favorite. "The Creative Container Gardener" contains planting and design suggestions for about a dozen theme gardens that you can grow in containers. Each chapter is illustrated with line drawings and planting diagrams. Themes include a fairy garden, a rose garden, a water garden, ornamental grasses, a lakeside garden (yes, in a container), herbs, Mediterranean vegetables, Japanese. For each theme, the authors provide instructions on making or selecting an appopriate container and a long list of plants that you might include, complete with zone information, Latin names, and basic plant descriptions. If you want a book with lots of pretty photographs, this isn't the gardening book for you, but if you want ideas on a scale that is "do-able," this is ideal. The container approach can be adapted to a larger-scale theme garden for those blessed with more space.