Hostas and Other Shade-Loving Plants [Paperback]

Richard Bird (Author), David Tarrant (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Whitehouse Spelling Pubns (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551108232
• ISBN-13: 978-1551108230
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,130,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beginners guide to shade gardening, June 20, 2001

By 

Tom Krischan (Big Bend, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hostas and Other Shade-Loving Plants (Paperback)

Limited information about Hostas in this poorly named book. It is better described as a beginners guide to shade gardening, with some reference to Hostas.

The book contains: 83 pages on general shade gardening, garden design, seasonal garden observations, soil preparation, and plant propagation. 15 pages on Hostas (17 species and 37 cultivars), each receiving one small paragraph of information. 30 pages about 119 other shade plants, again each receiving one small paragraph of information. 1 page listing plant suppliers and 1 page listing societies.

Book has a 4 page index. Both cover pages contain a paper fold to act as a page place holder (when you put the book down, you can find where you left off - a nice touch).

Photography is great. Images are clear, colorful, and show interesting plants. Most pictures contain a comment line that properly identifies the plant to species or variety.

The book is not a great reference manual on Hostas. It merely introduces the beginning gardener to shade plants and describes the more common Hostas. Information is solid and helpful, but there is not a lot of depth.

If you're looking for a lightweight introduction to shade gardening - then this is a very good choice.

It's a thin book that is priced around $[price]. Overall, it's a bargin!

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hostas and Other Shade Loving Plants, October 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Hostas and Other Shade-Loving Plants (Paperback)

This bood was a tremendous help to me in selecting plants for my Hosta garden and shade garden. This book helped with my knowledge and selection of plants at my local nursery. My garden looks great!