Ortho's Guide to Successful Houseplants

Haiku: 5-7-5. In the spirit of this volume, a few examples (poorly rendered) of this poetic form: # 1: Oh, I love houseplants, Which bring nature to our homes, And, with it, comfort. # 2: Dracaenas are friends, Arms stretching toward the sky, Janet Craig, so fine. . . . [Note: Janet Craig is one variety of Dracaena plant] # 3: Colorful Croton, Often hard to keep alive, But--if so--beauty. # 4: Spider plants are friends, Making oxygen for us, Soaking up poisons. Well, it's not Shelley or Keats or Shakespeare. . . . This book is very helpful for those of us with plants. It covers the basics: care for plants in general, how to propagate plants, and so on. But, for me, the key to this book is a plant by plant survey. I have tried Crotons, dracaenas, philodendrons, yuccas, Christmas cactus, and so on. For each plant, you get basic information about how to care for them and increase the odds of successful nurturance. So, whatever the virtue of my effort at poetry, this is a fine volume for those with houseplants.

This is a comprehensive book on house plant care. This answers almost every question you may have on how to care for your plant. There is a great section on pests and diseases and the photos are helpful in letting you spot what the problem is with your plant. The gallery of houseplants also tells you how much light, water, humidity and temperature each plant needs as well as grooming, fertilization, propagation info and problems you may encounter with each plant. There's a table listing the lighting requirement for various houseplants so you can plan where to put your next purchase and there is also a small section on decorating with your plants. This guide is very easy to use and I highly recommend it as a great resource for anyone interested in having beautiful houseplants.