Tropical Garden Plants by William Warren  (1)  £14.99

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Amazon.co.uk Review
This is a huge reference book containing nearly 2,000 plants, conjuring up images of tropical scenes, beautiful seas, blue skies, palm trees, and fragrant blossoms. So why, might you ask, is it featured here in the UK? Quite simply, the author has highlighted the difference between tropical plants and tropical-looking plants and as a result the book appeals not only to those living in the tropics but also to others in colder regions.

The author, Robert Lee Riffle, is a well-travelled gardening and writing consultant and formerly a manager of a nursery which specialised in tropical plants. He defines the tropical look as: "In short, one of flamboyant form and control." The book is arranged alphabetically from Acacia to Zombia, the colour photograph plates (about 400) being arranged in two batches rather than with their descriptive information. Included are trees, bamboos, palms, ferns, shrubs, perennials, vines, water plants, etc; also catcti, succulents and xeric plants. Each plant entry contains detailed information which includes tolerance to cold, whether it will spring back from the roots, soil and light preferences and requirements and propagation techniques. Botanical terms are carefully explained in a glossary and there are lists further categorising the plants for fragrance, size, leaf colour, fast growers, etc. It is certainly not a book for browsers, but is one for people requiring specialist information. --Susan Naylor

Synopsis
This is a compendium of nearly 2000 plants that evoke landscapes of swaying palms and frangipane blossoms. The author draws a distinction between tropical plants and tropical-looking plants, some from cool climates but with foliage or flowers that would not look out of place under a Costa Rican sunset or by a Balinese waterfall. Each entry includes information on whether a plant can survive cold weather, whether it will spring back from its roots, its light requirements, soil preferences and techniques for propagation. Over 400 photographs show the plants in all their glory. An A-Z encyclopedia has entries representing every kind of tropical planting, including trees, bamboos, palms, ferns, perennials, shrubs, water plants, vines and much more. Also featured are cacti, succulents and xeric plants that can conjure up the tropics in dry landscapes. There are lists that put all the plants into categories: fragrant plants, shade-tolerant plants and so forth.

2 Reviews 5 star:  (1) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review (2 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   18 of 19 people found the following review helpful: Absolutely Brilliant., 17 Feb 2001 By  palmnut@cableinet.co.uk (Essex , UK) - See all my reviews Although written more for the tropical gardener in the US this book actually has a lot to offer the British and Southern European gardener. Many cold and cool tolerant plants are included along with detailed descriptions of what the plants are and where they will grow,it also includes two separate colour sections with over 400 pictures that are enough to make your mouth water!!! There is also an excellent Landscape List section at the back of the book that gives you ideas for plants in various different locations. This is a book that no exotic gardener should be without!!!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   23 of 25 people found the following review helpful: No good for English Gardeners, 12 Sep 2002 By  R H MASON (Notts United Kingdom) - See all my reviews I received this book and am thoroughly disappointed with it. So much so that I am sending it back and replacing it with one by will giles. 99% of this book is only relevant to the US market. It is a dictionary of plants in alphabetical order. I think categorising by type Shrub, Climbers, Annuals Trees etc would be much better. The pictures are in a separate section in the middle and so it is impossible to flick through a section and see something you like and get a quick reveiw of it. It stands to reason that if there are over 2000 plants and 400 pictures, less than a quarter are actually viewable. Lastly the pictures show only a close up of that one plant, They cannot be seen in context and you can draw no inspiration for planting schemes from this.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 2 customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews