I've never had the courage to try tropical plants in my gardens, but if you, like me, think it's too much trouble to think about them, this book will change your mind. In Tropical Plants and How to Love Them: Building a Relationship with Heat-Loving Plants When You Don't Live In The Tropics - Angel’s Trumpets – ... – Gingers – Hibiscus – Canna Lilies and More! (Cool Springs Press, 2021), author and blogger Marianne Wilburn takes you through the easy way to grow stunners like elephant ears, palms, Brazilian plume flower and many, many more. She'll convince you that not only can you enjoy them in the height of summer outdoors, but you can convert them into houseplants during the winter months or overwinter them without a greenhouse or warm-ish garage. As she says in the introduction, "If I would not spend fifteen bucks on a flat of pretty pansies, I wasn't going to blow it on one, tired-looking tropical plant that would perish at the end of the season. And then I fell in love. It's difficult to describe what happened any better." It's the only book you'll need on bringing some great pizazz to your landscape.
If you're a professional gardener or designer, you might want to think about this book as a gift for a client or friend who's just starting out with gardening. In The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers: All the know-how you need to plant and tend outdoor areas using eco-friendly methods (The First-Time Gardener's Guides, 2) (Cool Springs Press, 2021), authors Sean and Allison McManus take you through all the basics -- selecting, plants, pruning your plants -- plus tips on tools, weeding, and of course designing. They show you way to approach your garden, to care for it, and to enjoy it through the seasons.
I used to have a rather productive vegetable garden in my rather small suburban yard, that is, until the squirrels kept getting all of my tomatoes and figs. However, it's always a dream to grow your own, so you might want to take a look at How to Grow Your Own Food: An Illustrated Beginner's Guide to Container Gardening (Adams Media, 2021) by Angela Judd. This book profiles 50 plants that can be grown in containers, from potatoes, peas, and peppers to lemongrass, celery and carrots, among others. I'm new to gardening in containers, as all I now have is an apartment balcony (safe from squirrels!), so I'm going to give it another go with Judd's advice and tips to show me the way.
And this book is perfect for anyone with a tiny apartment -- or anyone who wants to grow some lovely plants on top of a table, as my grandmother used to do. (Her African violets. were to die for).
Tiny Plants: Discover the joys of growing and collecting itty-bitty houseplants (Cool Springs Press, 2021), by professional horticulturist and author Leslie Halleck, shows you how to collect, care for, and display tiny plants. Yes, there are tiny plants for the windowsill, tiny plants to display under glass, and tiny carnivorous plants that will capture insects! You'll learn about tiny begonias and orchids, ferns and figs, and tiny aquatic plants, too. It's the book to go to when you'd like to garden, but think you have no space. A real treasure.
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