Customer Reviews

Flora's Orchids

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Not only a magnificent book, but also a very useful update (and a replacement) to the out of date Encyclopaedia of Cultivated Orchids (Alex Hawkes), as well as more encyclopedic than Home Orchid Growing (Rebecca Northern) and far better photographed than my old edition of The Manual of Cultivated Orchid Species (Bechtel, Cribb, Launert), or similar texts on highly specific orchid plants such as the various (equally wonderful) books on Vandas and Catasetums. The few 'errata' that I've seen (a misclassified Nobile dendrobium hybrid, a flipped picture) and a handful of different hybrid names that I've never heard of (Kunthara vs. Burrageara) are minor. Exquisite pictures, readable text (without resorting to too much botanical jargon), beautifully laid out, this is a real joy to add to anyone's orchid library.

The style of this encyclopedia is quite pleasing and the colors are spectacular. I have two comments, however. First, the book is very heavy, unwieldy for a reference book. The second remark refers to the choice of clones, especially hybrids, that seems limited to the photographs on hand, leaving many interesting primary hybrids out to the advantage of many (too many) hybrids that are difficult to find, and, in many cases, not very interesting. The book would have been better if it limited itself to species, many of which are missing (e.g. about 15 Cattleya species)or to primary hybrids. Obviously a commercial choice of "pretty pictures" without much information, like parents... Additionally, botanicals are very sparse, although many orchidists are looking for information on them.
In other words, a hybrid book for non-experts, which must be supplemented by many other sources to be truly useful.
What species are there are well done.

I bought this book as a Christmas gift for my mother who is an Orchid nutbag. She was absolutely amazed at the book and how many amazing pictures there were in it. She said it's so big and has so much information that it will take her months to get through all of it.

A must have for any serious orchid enthusiast. Not a technical manual, but a wealth of photographic and species information. A must have. A very worthy investment, and as beautiful as any I have ever seen.

This book truly contains a LOT of information. The pics are beautiful! The info is also for those of us who have serios orchitis and are past the beginner's inflamation stage... Highly recommended.

I've been growing orchids for many years and during that time have purchased many books on the subject. "Flora's Orchids" is one of the better books. It is magnificently illustrated and informative (without being too technical). It discusses hybridisation, propagation, pests etc before starting on the main "A - Z" section. Where this book differs from most is that it also covers some of the hybrids of many genera (some well known and others may be less known). Each entry has "how to grow them" signs and at the back of the book is a Cultivation Table which I found useful as a quick reference when growing new species.

"Flora's Orchids" would be a useful book for anyone wanting to expand their knowledge on the kind of orchids they can grow, whether they are new to the hobby or a more experienced grower.

This is absolutely the best book dedicated to Orchids. It is a great source of information and has an amazing amount of astonishing photos. A real work of art!!! Every Orchid enthusiast must have this book in his/her library. Deffinitely a great book.

Very colorful and filled with basic home care and explanations, i use it as a coffee table book for guests; they all go for the pictures.

I cannot rate this product since I have not received it. I put in the order online. I received a confirmation e-mail and an expected arrival date. The arrival date has come and gone. I e-mailed the owner over a week ago. I have no reply yet. I would like to know where my package is and when I can expect it but so far no one seems to care to contact me to tell me.

The book is amazing and just what I wanted and needed. It was shipped securely and I received it very quickly after ordering. Great job! I don't seem to be able to write tags for this review. Sorry.