Tropical Plants for Home and Garden (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Author), Luca Invernizzi Tettoni (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Striking color photographs as well as straightforward text. -- Country Living --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

The author and photographer of The Tropical Garden, first published by Thames and Hudson in 1991, combine forces again in this book devoted to the presentation of flowers and plants native to the tropical area of the world--plants that are now also widely appreciated and cultivated in America. Tropical Plants is divided into flowering shrubs and annuals, foliage plants, ornamental trees, ornamental vines and creepers, palms and palm-like plants, exotics, water plants, ground covers, ferns and fernlike plants, and orchids. It functions as a guide, an aid to identification, and a horticultural survey. Tettoni's remarkable photography of plants and flowers meticulously observed and documented is the perfect instrument for capturing the beauty of plants and their backgrounds.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; illustrated edition edition (November 24, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500017956
• ISBN-13: 978-0500017951
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,072,173 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Showy Book Loses Stars for Imbalance, Lack of Variety, August 23, 2003

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

Neither a good specimen guide nor glamorous coffee table showpiece, this nonetheless fills a gap in my growing library of tropical gardening books. It could be a nice introduction to tropical plants, but anyone who wants to actually garden with tropical specimens would be better served by other books, perhaps best of all, Gardening in the Tropics, ISBN: 0881923095 .

As one reviewer points out, there are several silly mistakes. It is telling that the publisher is known for style & design books. It needed an editor with a little more botanical savvy.

The format is clear and attractive, with huge photos and a little, nicely written text for each. The content is somewhat inconsistent. While many photographs are clear and nicely illustrative of the whole plant, some specimens are photographed in a massive mixed border some distance away. Identification, therefore, can be very frustrating. For every delight (there are, indeed, many gorgeous photos), there is a disappointment.

Nomenclature seemed inconsistent, and local names (Indonesia, Malaysia, etc) could have been supplied by these contributors who spend much of their time in southeast Asia.

There is no practical advice for a gardener (beyond the occasional note about something tolerating dry conditions or some such), but book doesn't pretend to be a guide book.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classy, useful, and exotic!, July 9, 1998

By	[e-mail] "Boca Joe" (US-Maryland) - See all my reviews

The thing I liked the best about this book is the beautiful color photos of the plants in their native habitats/gardens ( all of the plants were identified!!). This helps present a unique view of these wonderful plants.

Much more than the usual hibiscus, bouganvillea, and mandevilla pictures.

I also enjoyed seeing the RANGE of plants shown. I live in Maryland but collect tropicals and got quite a few ideas from the photos. I also enjoyed the "trip" through these beautiful tropical gardens. It helped me learn more ways to use and combine these incredible plants!

I think the book is fresh, and unique and anyone who loves tropicals will make this one of their favorite books in their collection. Well worth the money.

My FAVORITE book on tropicals to date. Second to BETROCK's FLORIDA PLANT GUIDE by Edward F. Gilman.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, January 5, 2000

By	Jim &Julie Scott (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews

A little more expensive than some other gardening books, but WORTH the money! Excellent clear colorful photos, both up close, and in perspective. Gives you a good idea of what these plants look like.

You'll still need a textbook for identifying proper zones if you're landscaping outdoors, but that is only a minor inconvenience in contrast to the amount of information this book gives. Highly recommend this one!