For troubleshooting, plant identification, or how-to information on everything from feeding to repotting, every houseplant lover should have a few reference books in their home library. Here are six of the best for beginners and experts alike.
Garden Anywhere (Alys Fowler, 2009) This is a great guide for anyone interested in indoor or urban gardening. Even if the only space available is a windowsill, Fowler has tips and plans to fit. It’s also full of beautiful illustrations to inspire.
Don’t Throw It, Grow It!: 68 windowsill plants from kitchen scraps (Deborah Peterson, 2008) A fun guide for parents and kids alike, Don’t Throw it, Grow it provides instructions for turning over 50 kinds of kitchen scraps-veggies, fruits, nuts, and herbs-into beautiful houseplants. Great for parents, teachers, and anyone looking to create a gorgeous houseplant collection inexpensively.
The Houseplant Expert (Dr. D.G. Hessayon, 1998) If there is a bible for houseplant lovers, this it it. This classic volume has been a must have since its original publication in 1960. It contains over 240 pages of full color photographs and illustrations, chapters on everything from decorating with plants to making a terrarium, and profiles of hundreds of popular houseplants.
The Houseplant Encyclopedia (Ingrid Jantra and Ursula Kruger, 2000) This volume, translated from the orginal German, is absolutely gorgeous. It contains over 300 pages of glossy full color photographs and information on over 1000 houseplants. In addition it also offers sections on poisonous plants, what kind of plants are best for the various locations in the average home, propagation, care and feeding, and even a chapter on rare and specialized houseplants. This is a wonderful resource for houseplant lovers and is equally at home on the coffee table and the potting bench.
Houseplants (DK Garden Guides, 2004) This little book is great for indoor gardeners looking for a handy plant identification reference. It contains over 300 pages of plant profiles. Each has a full color photo along with care tips along with a brief over view of indoor gardening basics such as repotting and fertilizing.
The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual (Barbara Pleasant, 2005) This book is perfect for the beginner. It provides over 160 plant profiles in a colorful, easy to read format with lots of full color photos. Each profile includes care and growing tips, a troubleshooting section and even tips on displaying each plant. The book also offers a glossary of houseplant terms and a Botanical/Common Name cross reference chart, which is invaluable to the beginner trying to decipher a plant tag. There are also colorfully illustrated sections on repotting, propagating, and more.
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