Book Review of Succulent Container Gardens, By Debra Lee Baldwin

This book is beautiful, beautifully written and is full of great information.

Warning, I'm about to gush and get all hyperbolic about "Succulent Container Gardens," by Debra Lee Baldwin. This book is positively brilliant. It is beautiful, well written and contains a huge amount of information. I learned more and enjoyed "Succulent Container Gardens," more than any other gardening book I've read in a long time.

The photographs, taken by the author, are amazing and alone would be worth the price of the book. You can learn a tremendous amount about great container garden design just by looking at the pictures.

"Succulent Container Gardens," provides detailed information about many succulents, from aemoniums to yuccas. Plant care, propagation and suggestions for combining plants are all covered thoroughly. Throughout the book there is a wealth of design advice that is intelligent and sophisticated while being completely accessible - even for novice gardeners.

I also love the tone of this book which is gentle and has an understated humor. Perhaps my favorite line refers to unusual pots - those shaped like heads or animals. Baldwin nails it when she writes, "But do resist the temptation to go overboard - a little whimsy goes a long way."

Much of the design advice in this book can be also be used for any container garden, particularly the section on "Pairing Plants with Pots." Her advice on topdressing containers is fabulous. Topdressing is a simple step, often overlooked, that can instantly take a container garden from appearing ragged and unkempt, to polished.

I would recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone interested in container gardening of any kind.

Also, check out Debra Lee Baldwin's, video on how to make a succulent container garden.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.