The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Peter D'Amato has been raising carnivorous plants for three decades, and his nursery, California Carnivores, houses the world's largest collection of flesh-eating flora. There's not much D'Amato doesn't know about growing these oddballs of the plant world, and he imparts his expertise gracefully and with humor in The Savage Garden, which is aimed at curious gardeners who want to grow carnivorous plants both indoors and out. From the ever-fascinating Venus flytrap to the aquatic bladderwort and the rather extravagantly sexual-looking pitcher plant, these exotic plants have a reputation for being difficult to grow, but D'Amato proves otherwise. The necessary water and soil chemistry, proper lighting, and propagation tips are discussed thoroughly along with descriptions and growing tips for many species in each of 11 plant families.

If plants can have personalities, these do--or at least appear to in the hundreds of witty photographs and colored illustrations that show them both at their hungriest and at their most innocuous. This is a stunningly comprehensive guide that will inspire and fascinate even the most squeamish gardener. -- Barrie Trinkle

Product Description

In addition to the familiar Venus flytrap, there are several hundred species of carnivorous plants on our planet. Most can be grown in the amateur gardener's backyard or even in a window box. Full-color photos show the plants at work and at rest and tell you everything you need to successfully grow your own--little garden of horrors. Full-color throughout.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898159156
• ISBN-13: 978-0898159158
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #43,908 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Introduction to the Hobby., August 24, 2005

By	Sean Kuhlmeyer - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Warning! Carnivorous plants are addictive. Don't be fooled by that cute little Venus Fly Trap or Sundew and think that you will just buy one. Wrong; one will morph into five, five into twenty-five, and the next thing you know, you will have a great terrarium set up, carnivorous houseplants competing with your African violet, and planters outside that the neighborhood kids come to feed bugs to. You will also be giving impromptu science lessons for anyone who stops to look at your unique plants. And this book will help. It is probably the most accessible book on carnies out today, and seems to have fueled a mini-explosion of publishers trying to follow D'Amato's lead. The writing is clear, and written for people who like plants but are not botany nuts, or botanists. D'Amato also did a very good job of explaining how to grow plants from different areas of the world without having to resort to charts of zones and endless consultations of thermometers. If you are interested in carnies, buy this book, you could also pick up Adrian Slack's book as well, but start here first.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great carnivorous book!, November 28, 2005

By	Jessica L. Lawrence (North Carolina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is one of the best I've read for carnivorous plants. It has background information on plants, as well as detailed information about the different species' general requirements, information on different growing settings, how to set up those settings, what to plant each kind of plant in, what NOT to plant each plant in, what you can fertilize/feed your plant with, and plant pests that commonly bother carnivorous plants and how to deal with them. The book also contains many quirky comments such as "(I am not suggesting you feed your plants humans, since this is highly illegal...)" and "Some CP's will accept...even chocolate (female plants)." It is a very fascinating and useful book!! A must-have for carnivorous plant lovers!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on the subject!, May 5, 2000

By	sda "sda" (Lockport, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I've long been interested in carnivorous plants, and have managed to collect a number of books on the subject over the years. This book, without a doubt, is the very best on the subject I've ever read! It is written in an easy to understand, matter-of-factly way, gives easy to follow instructions on how to grows these amazing plants, and is beautifully illustarted with numerous photos. If you buy only one book on the subject make this the one.