Product Description

By the author and photographer of "The Tropical Garden", this volume presents flowers and plants native to the tropical areas of the world - plants which are now also cultivated in Europe and America. The book is divided into sections on flowering shrubs and annuals, foliage plants, ornamental trees, ornamental vines and creepers, palms, exotics, water plants, ground covers and ferns and orchids. The author's knowledge of the varieties suitable for cultivation have informed the selection for the book which serves as a guide, an aid to identification and a horticultural survey. The photographs show the plants and flowers in close-up and in garden settings.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1163578 in Books
• Published on: 1999-08-12
• Released on: 1999-08-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 200 pages

Ingram
The author and photographer duo who created THE TROPICAL GARDEN, first published in 1991, combine forces again in a volume devoted to the presentation of flowers and plants native to the tropical areas of the world, but that now also are widely appreciated and cultivated in America. A dream book for lovers of exotic plants and lush tropical landscapes. 300 color photos.

About the Author
William Warren is well known as a garden expert in Bangkok, where he has lived for many years; his familiarity with plants that flourish in hot climates extends to Singapore, Malaysia, Burma, Indonesia, and the Hawaiian Islands. He also has detailed knowledge of the tropical varieties that are suitable for cultivation in the United States, Europe, and other nontropical areas. Luca Invernizzi Tettoni is one of the world's leading photographers of gardens and their plants.

Customer Reviews

Showy Book Loses Stars for Imbalance, Lack of Variety
Neither a good specimen guide nor glamorous coffee table showpiece, this nonetheless fills a gap in my growing library of tropical gardening books. It could be a nice introduction to tropical plants, but anyone who wants to actually garden with tropical specimens would be better served by other books, perhaps best of all, Gardening in the Tropics, ISBN: 0881923095 .

As one reviewer points out, there are several silly mistakes. It is telling that the publisher is known for style & design books. It needed an editor with a little more botanical savvy.

The format is clear and attractive, with huge photos and a little, nicely written text for each. The content is somewhat inconsistent. While many photographs are clear and nicely illustrative of the whole plant, some specimens are photographed in a massive mixed border some distance away. Identification, therefore, can be very frustrating. For every delight (there are, indeed, many gorgeous photos), there is a disappointment.

Nomenclature seemed inconsistent, and local names (Indonesia, Malaysia, etc) could have been supplied by these contributors who spend much of their time in southeast Asia.

There is no practical advice for a gardener (beyond the occasional note about something tolerating dry conditions or some such), but book doesn't pretend to be a guide book.

A good reference
This book is a good reference for everyone who love tropical plant and garden, many beautiful photographs from good garden and healthy plant, I note some mistakes:
(pg 50) pict 1 is not jackfruit or breadfruit
(pg 50) pict 2 is not breadfruit, it's a jackfruit
(pg 105) pict 2 is also Dracaena marginata, not a wild type
(pg 226) pict 4 is Epidendrum radicans not a Dendrobium
(pg 226) pict 3 is not Arundina, probably Arachnis hybrid
(pg 228) pict 2 is not Phalaenopsis hybrid, probably Miltonia
(pg 232) pict 2 is not Vanda tricolor
(pg 236) pict 2 must be rotate clockwise

Beautiful & Informative
I really loved this book. As a novice gardner I was able to learn more about plants, their correct names, how they reproduce and view spectular picturers. I keep wanting more and more. I've have read it several times and I refer to it frequently. It is informative without being too long winded. A must buy for the novice gardner.