Gardening in the Tropics [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

R. E. Holttum (Author), Ivan Enoch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1992

An enormous encyclopedia of tropical gardening that will be of interest not only to gardeners in tropical and subtropical areas but also to greenhouse enthusiasts everywhere. Included are detailed, illustrated listings of herbaceous plants, shrubs and climbers, trees and palms, foliage plants, and orchids. Although written specifically for the tropical climate of Malaysia, the book is also useful for the less steamy conditions of Hawaii, south Florida, and southern California.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book was originally written for the Malaysian gardener, which gives it a unique cachet as it allows the reader to get tips and tricks from across the globe."—American Homeowner Magazine, September 17, 2001 (American Homeowner Magazine )

"[A] valuable book that you will find yourself referring to over and over again as a resource piece." Neighbors, October 14, 1998 (Neighbors )

Book Description

An enormous encyclopedia of tropical gardening that will be of interest not only to gardeners in tropical and subtropical areas but also to green-house enthusiasts everywhere. Included are detailed, illustrated listings of herbaceous plants, shrubs and climbers, trees and palms, foliage plants, and orchids.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press; Revised edition (November 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881923095
• ISBN-13: 978-0881923094
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,125,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wealth of information for gardeners in the tropics, July 26, 1998

By 

Ravi Tewari (Port of Spain, Trinidad) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gardening in the Tropics (Hardcover)

Finally a book about tropical plants for people living in the tropics. The main focus is on ornamental plants, however there are also informative sections on fruits, vegetables and garden care. The information is detailed, practical and, as I have discovered, accurate. In my opinion the style is very easy to read. The many photographs are invaluable for selecting appropriate plants. Originally the book was written for Malaysia and Singapore. However, my experience has been that the advice is also appropriate for Caribbean conditions.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tropical Gardeners' Bible, January 13, 2003

By 

Renee Thorpe (Karangasem, Bali) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gardening in the Tropics (Hardcover)

Written for Malaysia, this book skimps on very little when it comes to tropical gardening.

Writer acknowledges that Malaysia's seasons (Hot/Wet and Hot/Very Wet) are not necessarily the same as, say, Indonesia's or Hawaii's. Therefore, the section on cacti and succulents is a bit scant. And I wished for a little more variety in palms. What nearly makes up for this is the completeness of all the other categories... shrubs, flowering plants, foliage plants, water plants, so on. Amazing detail is given for each plant and, often, its variations. Holtum can always be relied upon to comment on, say, a plant's success at high altitude or near the sea.

Lots of suggestions for how a plant should be used in relation to other species or what size garden it requires. But no landscaping sketches... this is all imparted through the text and sometimes photos. With each listing, the reader will be able to learn rates of growth, most appropriate methods of propagation, etc. Photos excellent but not always inserted RIGHT next to the appropriate text, and sometimes a plant is listed/written about in more than one place (without any good note to this fact). All in all, though, it's a useful reference book without extraneous chit chat.

Bonus for Indonesia and Malaysia: along with plants' common English name and Latin name, we get the Malay name (usually same as Indonesian). Extremely useful for dealing with local suppliers.

I have been very happy with this huge and generally well organized book. None of the gorgeous looking Periplus or smaller tropical plant books come close to the usefulness of this book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gardening In The Tropics, October 11, 2002

By 

Sheri Ann Richerson "ExoticGardening.com" (Marion, IN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gardening in the Tropics (Hardcover)

This is a rather large book specifically written for gardeners in tropical regions of the world such as Malaysia and Singapore. It contains numerous plant photos and descriptions as well as basic gardening information relevant to those in tropical climates

However, it is a valuable resource for those growing tropical plants outside of these climates as well due to the number of photos and descriptive information on each plant. The book covers such topics as tropical climates, garden planning, pests, disesases and weeds in addition to information on topics such as bonsai.

I found some of the reading to be a bit in-depth for the typical indoor grower and was hoping to find plant by plant propagation information instead of a chapter of general information on the subject but as a plant reference book, you cannot go wrong with this one.