Product Description

Botany for Gardeners offers a clear explanation of how plants grow.

> What happens inside a seed after it is planted? > How are plants structured? > How do plants adapt to their environment? > How is water transported from soil to leaves? > Why are minerals, air, and light important for healthy plant growth? > How do plants reproduce?

The answers to these and other questions about complex plant processes, written in everyday language, allow gardeners and horticulturists to understand plants "from the plant's point of view."

A best-seller since its debut in 1990, Botany for Gardeners has now been expanded and updated, and includes an appendix on plant taxonomy and a comprehensive index. Two dozen new photos and illustrations make this new edition even more attractive than its predecessor.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33911 in Books
• Published on: 2004-12-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780881926552
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"A combination of crisp, friendly writing and detailed, understandable illustrations (both line drawings and photographs) yields a great book that will be a welcome addition to the reference shelf."—Kim Long, Bloomsbury Review, March 2005 (Kim Long Bloomsbury Review )

"Gives the basics in a layperson's language, and it's not the size of a typical scientific tome, which in my book recommends it highly. [This review refers to the first edition]"—Dulcy Mahar, Oregonian, November 21, 2002 (Dulcy Mahar The Oregonian )

"In this magical little volume Capon covers the entire breadth of botanical science in concise, clear terms that anyone can understand and enjoy, but he doesn't make the mistake of talking down to the reader. [This review refers to the first edition]"—San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles, May 1991 (San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles )

A combination of crisp, friendly writing and detailed, understandable illustrations (both line drawings and photographs) yields a great book that will be a welcome addition to the reference shelf.Kim Long, Bloomsbury Review, March 2005 (Bloomsbury Review )

Gives the basics in a layperson's language, and it's not the size of a typical scientific tome, which in my book recommends it highly. [This review refers to the first edition]Dulcy Mahar, Oregonian, November 21, 2002 (The Oregonian )

In this magical little volume Capon covers the entire breadth of botanical science in concise, clear terms that anyone can understand and enjoy, but he doesn't make the mistake of talking down to the reader. [This review refers to the first edition]San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles, May 1991 (San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles )

From the Author
Brian Capon was for thirty years professor of botany at California State University, Los Angeles.

About the Author
Brian Capon received a Ph.D. in botany from the University of Chicago and was for thirty years professor of botany at California State University, Los Angeles. He is the author of Plant Survival: Adapting to a Hostile World, also published by Timber Press.

Customer Reviews

Not just for gardeners
Not just for gardeners, this gentle and high level introduction to a scientific understanding of plant life will be of interest to anyone who wants to know the basics of plant development, ecology, and reproduction. Emphasizing breadth rather than depth, the book provides basic information organized under the broad headings of: Growth, Organization, Adaptation, Functions, and Reproduction.

This is a book about the science of botany. It's not a field guide to help you identify plants. It contains no advice on how to plant tulips or where to site begonias. It has nothing about gardening tools or potting soil or which brand of plant nutrients to buy. It is for gardeners only in the sense that people who keep gardens and love plants and flowers will learn something about the basic physiology and function of their plants - kinds of things they won't always get from gardening books and magazines. The book imparts information about "what" is going on in the plants, rather than "how" to plant and tend them.

Capon keeps it simple and straightforward. Cell biology, for example, is treated in only about seven pages, including illustrations. But the casual reader will get enough to at least understand that cellular functions are the basis of life and are worth exploring if one is interested in knowing more about how the basic processes work. Other topics are treated similarly. There's enough science to give you a taste of what's really going on, but you'll have to read elsewhere if you want a thorough understanding.

If you need a serious botany textbook, this isn't it. But if you want to survey the subject, it's an excellent start.

The black and white drawings and color photos are first rate. An appendix on naming gives some basic concepts of taxonomy. An excellent glossary and a thorough index make it easy to check the meaning of a term that you know the author introduced before but you can't remember where and don't remember what it means.

As a novice in the subject, I learned quite a bit from this book.

An instructional, scientific text
Now in a newly revised edition, Botany For Gardeners is an instructional, scientific text written specifically in everyday language for gardeners, horticulturalists, and lay people. Author Brian Capon, a former professor of botany with thirty years' experience, explains how plants are structured, how they adapt to their environment, how water is transported from soil to leaves, why minerals, air, and light are important for healthy plant growth, how plants reproduce, and much more. Black-and-white diagrams and color photographs illustrate this superb self-teaching tool for the truly dedicated gardening enthusiast.

I didn't know how much I didn't know
Make no mistake, this is a science book. The reason: Botany is a science. Brian Capon begins at the plant cellular level and progresses outward in a manner and pace that is conducive to understanding the fascinating life of things botannical. He presents information that can be understood by the average adult who desires more depth on what is going on within the plant. As a gardener I have learned what works and what doesn't work in my particular region with my individual greenish thumb but it is a long time between growing seasons. Armed with solid scientific knowledge I can observe my plants and trees far better with a newly educated eye. Maybe those past planting mistakes were not the fault of the region but my own lack of knowledge and insight. It's the case of I didn't know what I didn't know about plants. As a result of my winter study this year I will plant my garden with deepest reverence for my plants inside and out.