Gardening on Pavement, Tables, and Hard Surfaces

a book by George Schenk

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. Plants have known all along that they can grow on these media, and 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.

Media reviews of this book:

“Mr. Schenk makes it sound so easy to be successful, his style of gardening is mighty appealing for those of us who have run out of real estate for one more flower bed.”

—Dallas Morning News, January 21, 2005

“The latest offering by George Schenk is a honey of a book, both practical and whimsical.”

—Linda Hillegass, Fine Gardening, February 2005

“The photographs are inspiring and the detailed instructions ensure success.”

—Bobbie Schwartz, APLD, The Buckeye, 2004

“I find [Schenk’s] writing both fun and instructive.”

—Patricia Taylor, The Times of Trenton, November 7, 2004

“Anyone wanting to turn a brownfield site into a greenfield site should take a look at this.”

—The Bookseller, April 9, 2004

Publishing details:

Hardcover, 192 pages, 7.6" x 9.2", 109 color photos

©2004, Timber Press, ISBN 0-88192-593-4

An excerpt from this book:

The basis for all table gardening is a table. What kind, then? Find a table that can pass a physical for furniture. No wobbly or decrepit specimen should be trusted as a base for a garden, but apart from that proviso, almost any table built for outdoor use (with the exception of the average glass-topped table) has strength to spare for this job. The gardens I myself have placed on table of average (patio table) size weigh as much as 350 pounds, when composed of stones in addition to soil and plants. Even my smallest opus, on a table a little less in circumference that that of an automobile tire, weighs about 75 pounds. Yet I’ve never had a table collapse or even groan under the weight of a garden I’ve placed on it and have kept on it for years.

About George Schenk

A former nurseryman and landscaper, George Schenk retired from business to pursue his related passions of designing and planting gardens and writing about them. He splits his time between gardens and residences in Seattle, North Vancouver, Auckland, and Manila.

Ordering information:

Gardening on Pavement, Tables, and Hard Surfaces (Hardcover) (B-038)
Each $29.95
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