Poppies: The Poppy Family in the Wild and in Cultivation [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

~ Christopher Grey-Wilson (Author) "Of all the various members of the poppy family, the genus Macleaya is the most unpoppy-like in both leaf and flower..." (more)
Key Phrases: basal stapes, plumed poppies, stigmatic disk, George Taylor, Baja California, North America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A field of common red poppies growing wild by the roadside can transform an ordinary landscape into a place of mystery--their fervent, insistent color seems designed to take the breath away. For readers who've fallen under the poppy's spell, Christopher Grey-Wilson's Poppies: A Guide to the Poppy Family in the Wild and in Cultivation is an exhaustive work of research and classification of this remarkable and mysterious flower.

The book starts out with a brief, no-nonsense introduction that serves as a road map to the reams of information contained in the subsequent pages. Grey-Wilson, botanist and editor of Alpine Garden Society, has organized the poppy family into four main subfamilies: the Chelidonioideae, Eschscholzioideae, Papveroideae, and Plastytemonoideae. Within these subfamilies a series of varieties are delineated. In entries of varying length, Grey-Wilson provides information about zoning, propagation, advice on garden placement, and various other remarkable and somewhat unpredictable details. While some poppies described here can be found at any local garden store, others are not in cultivation and were last sighted in Turkey or Iran. Containing 182 color photographs, Poppies will satisfy readers who want more than just the basics, who want the whole scientific story, and then some. --Emily White --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

This book has deepened my understanding of the plant world significantly. I am sure everyone who reads this book will find at least one plant that totally surprises him or her. -- Diana Pederson "Suite101.com" (05/11/2001)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 239 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press, Incorporated (August 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881922323
• ISBN-13: 978-0881922325
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,061,077 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Poppies A guide to poppies in the wild and in cultivation, March 18, 2001

By	Warren Magliacano "[e-mail]" (NY United States) - See all my reviews

Poppies is a well written and well organized book covering the main subfamilies and genera of the poppy species. Illustrations are included to clarify the in depth descriptions. This book is best suited for someone with a biology/botony background. I would not recomend this book to the casual gardener, as it is more of a college level text, complete with scientific names. The color plate in the middle of the book was a nice addition.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully illustrated guide to the poppy family, March 19, 2001

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poppies: A Guide to the Poppy Family in the Wild and in Cultivation (Hardcover)

This remarkable and beautifully illustrated guide to the poppy family covers both wild and cultivated poppies around the world, updating and extensively revising the only book available on the topic. From general traits and cultivation to specifics to genera and species grouped by subfamilies, Poppies is recommended for college-level horticultural students with a special, technical interest in growing poppies.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Decent book, but I was expecting more., March 26, 2008

By	PDJ "A Person" (Charlottesville, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poppies: A Guide to the Poppy Family in the Wild and in Cultivation (Hardcover)

This is definitely a good book for a general overview on poppies. It has info on tons of different strains and species of the plant, but that's exactly where I think this book has it's weakness.

This book is very much quantity over quality. The author covers many different types of poppies but doesn't give too much information on them other than a basic overview. I was hoping the book would focus on the few popular species of poppy (rhoeas, orental, somniferum, Eschscholzia, etc.) giving thorough information then dividing the various species into less detailed strain descriptions.

The pictures are nice, but I wish they were with the various sections and not only in the middle pages.

Overall I say this book isn't that great. I don't know of one, but there must be a better book on poppies out there.