Indoor Plants: The Essential Guide to Choosing and Caring for Houseplants (Hardcover)

by Grahame Clarke (Author) "PLANTS HAVE A VERY SPECIAL PLACE IN OUR homes..." (more)
Key Phrases: standard liquid fertilizer, pot one size larger, added coarse sand, South Africa, Foliage Upright, South America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
This well-designed introduction to houseplants by garden writer Courtier and horticulturist Clarke begins with a brief section on decorating with plants followed by the book's strength?a plant directory of 170 common houseplants plus a secondary list of 130 more unusual plants. Arranged by scientific name, entries list common name, plant requirements, growing techniques, propagation methods, and recommended related plants. Most entries contain a beautiful color photograph of the plant. The final section offers clear explanations, with illustrations, of light, humidity, temperature, watering, feeding, repotting, training, propagation, and pests and diseases. A few errors such as conflicting information on watering bromeliads and reversed identification of thrip and vine weevil pictures are minor problems. While similar in style and content to other available houseplants books, this is an attractive, informative choice for libraries needing an additional book about houseplants and their care.?Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., Ill.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Everything you need to know about choosing and caring for houseplants. An extensive plant directory describes 300 indoor plants; an alphabetical chart provides at-a-glance information on each plant's needs and preferred conditions.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Reader's Digest (March 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895779218
• ISBN-13: 978-0895779212
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #398,482 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

93 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift and/or reference book., July 27, 1998

By A Customer

The photography and text of this beautiful book are well-done and easy to follow. The authors cover most aspects of plant care, from basic watering and lighting to reproduction and pest control to extensive entries on houseplant varieties. Every plant entry seems unique, breaking from the dull template of information that the more encyclopedia-like plant books have. This engaging style is a strength of the book, but it is also a weakness because the style lends itself to inconsistency. For example, the entry on Saintpaulias (African Violets) specifies the height at which artificial lights should be placed above the plants, but many of the other entries do not give such information. Another complaint is that the secondary plant list in the back does not feature a photograph of every plant. For the price I paid, I would have willingly give up a few of the extra photos in the front if it would result in a more comprehensive photo collection in the back. Identifying p! lants without pictures is very difficult. Nonetheless, no plant book is perfect, and this one comes very close. It combines two types of books -- the coffee-table book and the reference text. All too often plant books do one at the expense of the other.

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Reliable Help, October 24, 2001

By A Customer

As a novice houseplant keeper, I rely heavily on the books I read for information I need to keep my plants healthy. This book helped me identify ALL the plants I own, which was no small feat in that most were given to me by others who didn't know the variety. It has easy to read information on caring for plants, and I am able to understand the language used. Some other encyclopedia type books make it difficult to get the info needed, and are geared toward professional horticulturists, rather than laymen like myself. I found this book to be very useful, and would highly recommend it to others who have "hobby" plants. The pictures are great, too! They provide a good explanation for the written description of problems common to houseplants, and are a great guide to diagnosing ailments.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, January 20, 2004

By A Customer

This has been a joy to go through. I am a novice at this. Its hard finding a good first book to start with. This is it. It has great pictures for you to match your plants to and enough detail on how to take care of them without loosing you in a bunch of detail. I would recommend this book to anyone starting out.