Product Description

Gardening on Pavement, Tables, and Hard Surfaces is the first book to describe how to grow garden plants directly on hard surfaces such as pavement, rocks, tables, and other impermeable platforms. George Schenk translates this small miracle into practical language for gardeners. With just a few inches of soil, gardens can be created almost anywhere. Tabletops can serve as the foundation for small rock gardens; ground covers can grow vigorously on concrete; even bonsai can thrive directly on decorative stone. Using extensive photos, plant lists, and step-by-step instructions, the author shows how every gardener can adopt this charming, vibrant, and beautiful style of planting.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #201305 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From Booklist
Schenk, the author of Moss Gardening (1997) and The Complete Shade Gardener (2002), tells how to grow plants on pavement, rocks, railings, tables, stumps and logs, and stepping stones with just a few inches of soil, framing the resulting raised bed with material solid enough to hold it in place. This also can be achieved by planting low ground covers in the seams of soil between paving blocks of a terrace or patio, by planting low-growing plants along a walkway of paving stones, and by planting grass or ground covers in the open grids of preformed concrete gridwork. Schenk gives instructions on the shape of the beds and on the right kinds and depth of soil. He also provides advice on watering, weeding, pruning, dead-heading, and fertilizing, and lists hundreds of the best plants to use, providing data on their size and growth rate. Complementing the informative text are 109 color photographs. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Anyone wanting to turn a brownfield into a greenfield site should take a look at this." -- Bookseller, April 2004

"The latest offering by George Schenk is a honey of a book, both practical and whimsical." -- Fine Gardening, March/April 2005

"City gardeners in particular should find a lot of useful informationin this book." Science News, July 31, 2004 (Science News )

"Living in a concrete jungle? This book's solution: Grow a garden on it ... highlights innovative gardens where you least expect them, miniature worlds in outlandish places, as quirky as they are captivating."—Lili Singer, Los Angeles Times, September 2, 2004 (Lili Singer Los Angeles Times )

"The latest offering by George Schenk is a honey of a book, both practical and whimsical."—Linda Hillegass, Fine Gardening, March/April 2005 (Linda Hillegass Fine Gardening )

City gardeners in particular should find a lot of useful informationin this book. Science News, July 31, 2004 (Science News )

Living in a concrete jungle? This book's solution: Grow a garden on it ... highlights innovative gardens where you least expect them, miniature worlds in outlandish places, as quirky as they are captivating.Lili Singer, Los Angeles Times, September 2, 2004 (Los Angeles Times )

The latest offering by George Schenk is a honey of a book, both practical and whimsical.Linda Hillegass, Fine Gardening, March/April 2005 (Fine Gardening )

From the Publisher
With just a few inches of soil, gardens can be created almost anywhere. Using extensive photos, plant lists, and step-by-step instructions, Gardening on Pavement, Tables and Hard Surfaces shows how every gardener can adopt this charming, vibrant, and beautiful style of planting.

Customer Reviews

An unusual "take" on gardening
This is an extremely interesting "take" on gardening. It had never occurred to me to plant directly on pavement, but this book convinced me I should try it. I did, and with spectacular results. I now have flowers growing in the middle of my driveway in a strip of dirt that's about 10' x 2' x 4-8" high. It looks much more natural than a traditional raised bed, and, amazingly, the dirt has stayed put without benefit of artificial barriers, just a few judiciously placed rocks. I also now have flowers growing out of a rotting stump. This book opened to me a whole new world of possibilities.

Gardening on Pavement, Tables, and Hard Surfaces
Inspirational and unusal book showing ways to maximize the beauty of areas that might otherwise remain a blight on the landscape. Covering pavement, enhancing stumps, and dressing up rocks are all possible with the guidance of this clever gardener whose writing is also excellent. I've purchased extras to give as gifts and gave one to my landscaper who has tirelessly and artfully moved rocks all over my new North Carolina landscape to great effect! You will love this book if you love to do unusual things in your garden!