Product Description

Welcome to a whole new world of houseplants -- and a whole new generation of plant lovers ready to embrace the joy of indoor gardening! For the nearly 50 percent of U.S. households who spend six billion dollars every year on indoor plants to decorate, purify the air, and generally boost the spirits, The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual provides practical, hands-on advice for how to care for 160 beautiful houseplants, including many new selections that have entered the retail market in the last ten years.

For new indoor gardeners, Pleasant offers basic information on how to identify their plants, as well as where to place them and how to keep them healthy. In-depth plant profiles provide troubleshooting guidelines to quickly identify symptoms, causes, and remedies to common problems for each species. Information about how to repot, propagate, and display each plant, as well as advice on the very best varieties, makes this an indispensable reference for every houseplant lover.

A more general “Guide to Houseplant Care” addresses every aspect of plant care in an A-to-Z format, from choosing the proper containers and soil mixtures, to coping with pests and diseases, as well as watering, pruning, and staking. With The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual, no green thumb is required to be successful at keeping, not killing, indoor plants.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24270 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Flexibound
• 384 pages

From Booklist
Even the most intrepid outdoor gardeners frequently admit that indoor plants under their care have an expected lifespan roughly equivalent to that of a mayfly. Whether one has just been given his or her first pot of grocery-store ivy or has been growing intricate bonsai for years, everything the indoor gardener could ever want to know about how to select, tend, and enjoy houseplants is contained in Pleasant's monumentally comprehensive yet straightforward and easy-to-follow encyclopedia covering more than 160 houseplants. Following an enlightening introduction that discusses the history, uses, and benefits that houseplants bestow, the manual is divided into three main sections. The first two are plant directories offering in-depth plant profiles of first flowering, then foliage, houseplants. The third is an extensive compilation of houseplant-care topics, from acclimatization to watering. With vivid color photographs, precise illustrations, appendixes listing helpful resources, definitions, and a cross-reference chart of botanical and common names, this is a must-have manual for anyone who shares home or office space with potted plants. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Cursed with a brown thumb?…Barbara Pleasant has come to your rescue."—Stephanie Bloyd, Mother Earth News, August-September 2006 (Stephanie Bloyd Mother Earth News )

Cursed with a brown thumb?Barbara Pleasant has come to your rescue.Stephanie Bloyd, Mother Earth News, August-September 2006 (Mother Earth News )

About the Author
Barbara Pleasant has written five books for Storey, including the Garden Writer's Association 2003 Garden Globe Award of Achievement winner, Garden Stone. She lives in Virginia.

Customer Reviews

An excellent houseplant reference
This well organized and informative book covers 160 houseplants. Arranged in 3 sections - "Blooming houseplants", "Foliage houseplants" and 'Houseplant Care," the tops of the pages are color-coded for fast access. Plants are listed by their botanical name but you can look up their common names in the index or a Botanical/Common Name Cross Reference chart in the back of the book. Almost all plants are given a 2 page spread which includes a description, a chart with specifications indicating light levels, temperature, fertilizer, water and soil needs, repotting advice, longevity, propagation techniques, selection and display tips. A troubleshooting guide provides characteristics of what to look for if a plant is in trouble and what you should do about it. Plants with various varities, like bromeliads, bulbs, cacti, orchids, ferns and palms are covered in more expanded sections. The color photos (included for each plant) are outstanding. The final chapter, "Houseplant Care," covers aspects such as containers, fertilizers, insect pests, propagation, plant characteristics and identification tips, terrariums and watering techniques. The semi-hard cover and flexible binding make the book easy to flip through and the attractive lay-out and page colorings make this book a joy to use. A must-have reference for serious houseplant growers!

Great for Beginner or Advanced
Each plant merits a color photo, making them easy to spot the one you want. The care instructions include light temperature, fertilizer, water, soil, repotting, longevity, propagation, selections (varieties), and display tips. The plants that are particularly easy-to-care-for are marked with an icon so beginners can spot them.
In the back is a cross reference with the botanical name and the common name.

Bought because of a review, and I'm glad I did
I purchased this book after seeing it reviewed positively in another publication, and I'm glad I did. It offers simple, straight-forward, and clear information on caring for numerous plants found in houses. The pictures are also great, making it easy for you to recognize those plants you just can't name.