Product Description

Abundantly illustrated in full color, this guide provides detailed descriptions and methods of cultivation for 350 of Florida's most attractive and easily grown native plants, including ferns, wildflowers, shrubs, trees, vines, aquatics, and epiphytes (air plants). Written for both the beginner and the experienced gardener, it includes basic garden concepts as they apply to native plants--selection, site preparation, pruning, propagation, weeding, and pest control.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #251548 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
"This wide-ranging guide offers plant lovers and gardeners alike an excellent resource for cultivating Florida's native plants. It will prove a worthwhile addition to every gardener's library." - Gil Martin, director, Florida Native Plant Society; "A valuable resource for those interested in growing native plants and also for those simply wishing to increase the diversity of plants in their gardens.... A wealth of information gleaned from the author's personal experience in growing native plants." - Richard Wunderlin, author of Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida and Flora of Florida, Volume 1"

Customer Reviews

An Essential, Exhaustive, Clear Reference
I haven't left this book alone for a day since I bought it. The book provides, in a catalog format, all of the essential information one might need to evaluate the suitability of a very wide variety of native wildflowers, shrubs and trees.

The organization of the book is helpful in that it categorizes the plants as long-lived wildflowers, short-lived wildflowers, shrubs, trees, palms, et cetera. Each individual plant is represented by a good photo and a consistent presentation of essential data: culture, propagation, zone, soil requirements, et cetera, so you can easily and quickly access needed information.

A drawback for Central or North Florida readers: the book seems to be heavily weighted toward southern Florida natives.

A suggestion: a clear identification of the habitat within which each plant is likely to be found would be helpful, especially to those interested in habitat restoration, as I am.

A Must-Have for All Gardeners
If you want to start, enhance, or improve a native Florida garden, this book has it all! From basics like how to prepare your site before planting (wish this book had been published two years ago!), to selecting the right plants for your site, to pictures of the plants, Rufino Osorio has covered it in this book. I thought I knew a lot before reading it, but now I rely on this text to help me refine my own native garden with buying new plants, pruning and propagating existing plants, (possibly even removing some existing ones), etc. Whether you're a relative novice like me, a true ground-zero beginner, or an experienced gardener, this book belongs on your shelf. My only note of caution is that this purchase will be only the beginning of a long list of acquisitions; in the two weeks since buying this book (got one early through Mounts Botanical Garden in WPB), I have already purchased about 20 new plants.

lousy pictures
The pictures in the book are mostly close up pictures of the flowering plant. Can't see leaf or leaf structure or plant size within a natural environment. Would not recommend this book for plant identification.