One Plant, One Pot: Simplify Container Gardening Year-Round

Container gardens are beautiful but replanting them seasonally is labor-intensive. Simplify with this strategy from the new Sunset Western Garden Book: plant a single perennial in a large pot for a high-visibility spot, choosing one that peaks in spring. Simultaneously, plant summer, fall, and winter peak performers each in their own pots, nurturing them in a side yard with appropriate light. When one season's pot fades, swap in the next peaking container.

Reliable Seasonal Choices

Spring: delphinium (Blue Fountains or Stand Up), primrose (English, Fairy, or Primula obconica).
Summer: canna, dwarf Oriental lilies, geum, heliotrope, Origanum rotundifolium 'Kent Beauty', Shasta daisy.
Fall: asters, chrysanthemums.
Winter: cyclamen, Euryops pectinatus.

Choose plants for your climate zone; use rich, fast-draining potting soil.

What's New in the 8th Edition

Expert Tips: 30+ horticulturists share advice—Paul Bosland on chiles, Gary Ibsen on heirloom tomatoes, Tom Carruth on easy roses, David Fross on native plants, Jim Becker on fragrant lavenders.

New Plants: 500+ additions keyed to Sunset zones, including Brugmansia 'Peaches and Cream', 'Mango Meadowbrite' echinacea, ox-eye sunflower 'Prairie Sunset' and 'Summer Sun'.

New Plant Lists: Birds, small spaces, and more.

Updated Dictionary: Container gardening, organic methods, pest management.

Sunset Western Garden Book (2007; $35 softcover, $40 hardcover) available at bookstores and online.