Plants for Tropical Landscapes: A Gardener's Guide [Hardcover]

Fred D. Rauch (Author), Paul R. Weissich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

Plants for Tropical Landscapes will help you select and group plants to create a successful tropical garden tailored to your needs and tastes. Gardeners and landscapers will find this treasury of more than 500 common plants easy to use and one of the most comprehensive guides available today.

Plants are organized by size (ground covers, low shrubs, medium shrubs, small trees) and are fully illustrated with more than 600 color photographs to aid in their identification. The book presents guidelines on plant characteristics, soil and water requirements, and suggested landscape use for each species. In addition, appendices list plants suitable for special uses (xeriscapes, windbreaks, night gardens) and sites (beach gardens, lanai, and houseplants).

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fred D. Rauch is emeritus professor of horticulture at the University of Hawaii, where he served as Extension Specialist in Horticulture for twenty-five years.

Paul R. Weissich, a licensed landscape architect, was director of Honolulu Botanical Gardens from 1957-1989. Since his retirement, he has been active as a consultant and volunteer on numerous landscaping projects.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 139 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Hawaii Pr (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824820347
• ISBN-13: 978-0824820343
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

104 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plants for Tropical Landscapes - a Gardener's Guide, April 21, 2001

By 

Ted Kirnbauer (Aiea, Hawaii United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plants for Tropical Landscapes: A Gardener's Guide (Hardcover)

Plants for Tropical Landscapes addresses everything from ground covers to Palms, Xeriscape to lanais. It contains an impressive number of plants and its simple format makes it a joy to read. The book is clearly organized by the size of the plant, starting from the smallest (ground covers) and working its way up to largest plants in a tropical garden (trees over 50'). Along with beautiful color photographs, the physical characteristics of each plant, light and moisture requirements, preferred soil, wind, drought, and salt tolerance are all given. The authors also suggest practical ways the plants could be used in a tropical setting. This book does not bog the reader down with too many details, but gives everything necessary to plant your tropical garden.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Down to earth (pun intended) and comprehensive with great photos on glossy paper, December 15, 2006

By 

Kelley O. Holtman "Kelley O. Holtman" (Kihei, HI, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plants for Tropical Landscapes: A Gardener's Guide (Hardcover)

Plants for Tropical Landscapes: A Gardener's Guide is just what I was looking for. Being raised in Hawaii, I have seen many of the plants in this book but don't know many of their names or uses. The authors give just the right amount of information to help you choose the right plant for the right location. It will be nice to help choose our plants with the landscapers instead of letting them make all of the decisions. I also really like the layout of the book which starts at ground covers and moves up in size through shrubs and trees, then on to vines, ferns and palms, etc. The pages have colored edge markings that assist in switching from chapter to chapter. Most of the coolest things included are located in the Appendices that should be extremely useful: Native Hawaiian Species; Xeriscape; Beach Garden; Hedges, Screens & Windbreaks; House & Lanai Plants; and the garden at night.
Even if you just want to know what plants are in your yard, you will enjoy this book. I wish I had paid more attention to my Mom when she tried to teach me about plants way back when...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, October 28, 2006

By 

A. Dumont (Orange Beach, AL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plants for Tropical Landscapes: A Gardener's Guide (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book. We are starting from scratch beginning our landscape at our home and I really did not know a lot about all the different plants available! Wow..it is very inspiring and teaches you a lot too. Also, it is great for reference. I go to it often for information.