Customer Reviews

Easy Gardens for South Florida (Florida Gardening) Volume I

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although I love native Florida plants, I want a mixture of natives and non-natives in my front yard to achieve a tropical look. After checking out hundreds of gardening and landscaping books from the public library, I finally found the perfect book to help me achieve the look I want.

This book contains beautiful full color photographs with detailed information on each plant including maximum height, light requirements, pests, etc. However, what has been most helpful to me is knowing which plants will look well together with the least amount of maintenance.

I've been able to compile a small list of plants that will provide me with year round color from foiliage and flowers. The tropical look is finally within my reach, look out South Dade plant nurseries, here I come! :-)

Full of color photos in a large format, this book is essential if you want a decent looking garden in South Florida. All the other gardening books either dismiss this part of the country or give very cursory information. I like that her recommendations are field-tested and she gives additional information, like the lifespan of the plant. Well worth the money.

I love plants and gardens! I never knew how to create a garden that would last and look great! This book has wonderful photos and is VERY easy to read and plan with. YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS ONE!

A dozen books later and finally the perfect book! Detailed with lots of pictures. Worth the price of all the other books.

My husband got this book for me when he saw all the positive reviews. I was initially reluctant because I thought it was going to be just silly and repetitive. I was WRONG.

This book is never on the shelf, but always on my desk. Ms. Crawford does an excellent job of organizing the material, and particularly excels in giving you the information you need for each particular plant (light, shade, water, companions, etc.). She has tested each and every plant in the book, and therefore her comments are insightful. I particularly like the thumbnail section for types of gardens (bright, medium, shade and variations thereof).

My only criticism would be that she can be repetitive in her plant selections (lots of recommendations for ruellia katie and golden shrimp plant). However, I can't think of a better "plain-english" guide to gardening in this difficult climate.

This looks like a wonderful book, but I live in Tampa. Central Florida is a gardening transition zone and many of the plants listed in this book will not work for me. I thought this book was going to be revised in 2004 to cover more of Florida. I am really looking forward to that. I have not bought this book yet, but will when the revision is complete. I have been watching for it for over a year.

Easy to read, easy to use book. Excellent photos of plants with critical information (light, water, pests, etc.) clearly listed in side margins. Especially liked the author's editorial comments, not just the usual dry descriptions. Also enjoyed lists and photos of plants to use together. EXCELLENT reference section with thumbnail photos for plants to use in sun, partial sun, partial shade, full shade, classed by size (height). I own quite a few gardening books and this one is the crown jewel!

This book is thoughtfully written and is so easy to use as a reference. I was able to design and plant a gorgeous, hearty garden with the ideal plants for our hot, sunny yard. I highly recommend this book!!!

As a new South Florida gardener, I wasted money on three other books before I found this one. High glossy pictures on every page alone makes it worth the money. This author has tested all kinds of plants and isolated the best and easiest for this area -- as well as talking about care, possible problems, and suggested companions for each plant. I'm glad I found this book before I started re-landscaping my yard - I expect it saves me a lot of money. IF you live in South Florida - it's worth every penny!

Footnote Jan 2003: It has been 6 months since I used this book to re-landscape, and everything is now filling in beautifully.
Everything I chose is thriving. And the yard looks great.

I have purchased all of Pamela's books because they tell you everything you need to know about Florida gardening, with pictures! But most importantly, Pamela has experimented with every plant described in the books and knows what works and what doesn't. She also discusses the maintenance and light conditions required for each plant to keep it looking healthy. Follow her advice and enjoy you garden. It will be beautiful!

Don Meder

Delray Beach, FL