Stylish Succulents: Japanese Inspired Container Gardens for Small Spaces

The floral arrangements presented in the alluring guide to growing succulents in small containers are both idiosyncratic and striking. The authors, a married couple who work together as interior designers in Tokyo, offer less a gardening book and more a manual illustrating arrangements that can be copied or used as inspiration. For each project there’s a list of plants used followed by basic planting and growing tips. The guide is light on instruction in styling techniques, and information about various plants is likewise scant, covered in a short chapter on living with succulents. The sophisticated designs draw on a variety of textures—such as the long, dangly string of pearl plant; leafy little missy; and spikes of the silver pet plant, particularly for the hanging plants. These distinctive plantings are not for novices, but they will beckon to those who find ikebana and bonsai appealing, and to the cactus-loving crowd. Color photos. (July)