The House Plant Expert Book Two: The Must-Have Sequel to the World's Bestselling House Plant Book (Expert) Reviews

• You be the expert

  
  By A331LOXJBT4ZH0 on 2000-02-13
  With this book, you can suddenly be incredibly knowledgeable about taking care of houseplants. When a co-worker says, "I have these funny black spots on the leaves of my coffee plant," you'll have the answer. This is book is almost over-inclusive: it covers almost every housplant sold in the United States, as well as a bunch that normally aren't. If you are building up your own plant collection, this will be an indispensable guide in helping you choose the right plants for the conditions in your home. As well, the photography is excellent. It's fun to go through and pick out plants you like the look of...ask at your local greenhouse, sometimes they can special order plants for you.

  The book covers general care, disease control, and propagation (a handy way to increase your plant stock for free!). If you wish you had greener indoor thumbs, buy this book.
  
  

• An excellent encyclopedia of house plants and their care.

  
  By on 1996-10-26
  This is the most helpful book on house plants that I have ever read. It has sections about the different classes of house plants (eg, flowering, succulents, etc.), followed by a section that is like an encyclopedia of several hundred plants. Each plant is presented with its Latin and common names, a color picture, a brief description, a set of growing requirements (eg, light, watering), and how to deal with special problems that species faces. Finally, there are sections about growing, propagation, and first-aid. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys collecting or growing house plants.
  
  

• New Green Thumb

  
  By ABQXYJ7Q1QFF2 on 2000-02-22
  I was very pleased with the amount of information this book provided. I have never had luck with house plants before. The information provided here helped me to make intelligent selections for the climate and light I could provide. The book provides a brief, but information packed 1/3 - 1 page on each plant including 'secrets of success' (temperture, light, water, air humidity, repotting and propagaion) and a list of remedies for special problems. I was able to take the book with me to the nursery to make sure I was making wise choices. I would recommend this book to anyone with questions of care on house plants.
  
  

• A must have for any plant lover

  
  By on 2002-08-04
  In the past few years I have become more and more interested in plants, yet still manage to kill some in spite of my best efforts to the contrary. I have purchased several books to help me put an end to this, and to my mind, none compares to this one. In addition to having the most extensive alphabetized listing of houseplants of any book I've seen (in both Latin and common parlance), it gives precise advice on everything from light to temperature to propogation. The "Special Problems" listed with individual plants have already helped me to rescue a few that were looking a little peaked, and I am now even able to understand how plants are classified. The first two chapters, "Plants in the Home" and "Displaying House Plants" are chalk full of great advice for both novice and professional, and that unit on "Plant Care" in the back---which tells you in great detail why plants run in to such specific problems as drooping bottom leaves or brown patches---is worth the price of the book alone.
  It's easy to see why this is the world's best-selling book on house plants, and why other Amazon customers have unanimously rated this five stars. Count me among them.
  
  

• best houseplant book around. period.

  
  By A2C27IQUH9N1Z on 2002-05-02
  I have quite a few books to help with houseplants, but this is the one that consistently has the information I need. Besides great content, the look of the book is very attractive .... sort of like the USA Today of plant books -- LOTS of pictures, photographs and charts. It seems that every topic under the sun is covered, from choosing and caring for a wide variety of plants to displaying them in all manner of rooms. Plant care instructions for each species are only about a third of a page but there is a lot of information packed into that space -- a photo, description and temperature, light, water, humidity, repotting and propagation facts. There is also a section about troubles and pests as well as a dictionary and index. An essential resource.
  
  
• VERY useful
  By A3EQQP0LD4Z375 on 2001-05-27
  This book is an excellent overview of plant care and I have referred to it many times when encountering plant problems of my own. The author also gives advice on what plants are more suitable for different rooms of the house. A detailed description of the more popular houseplants is given, with their lighting, temperature, water, and humidity requirements, along with repotting requirements and tips on propagation. He also gives a very useful "Special Problems" discussion on each plant group to assist the reader in diagnosing plant maladies and how to remedy them. Definitely a very good book for both beginners and seasoned plant lovers.
  
  
• The book deserves each penny spent on it: the ultimate guide
  By on 1999-10-18
  The House Plant Expert well deserves its name as the world's bestselling in its field. I think it is an ultimate plant guide: as an amateur in plant care, I found the answers to all my questions such as how much light my plant needs, what on earth are those white speckles on the leaves, how often I should water, or what type of pot is better for the plant. I recommend the book without any reservations. The only problem is I cannot buy any more books on house plant care, since the House Plant Expert so far answers everything for me regarding house plant care!
  
  
• A book for the hobbiest
  By on 2000-01-21
  This book has already saved two of my houseplants, and I've only had it for two weeks! It's full of easy to read, easy to understand information for someone like me - I'm not and have no desire to become a horticulturist, I just want to have a resource at my fingertips which will give me the information I need to properly care for my house plants. This book is it! Concise, clear, easy to find, easy to understand information on all the common house plant varieties, what they need to grow and flourish, what the common ailments are and what to do to make your plant well again. Love this book!
  
  
• A must have!
  By on 2001-08-03
  I have many houseplant books - this one was the first I ever bought & the first in the stack I refer to most often. It lists both the common & latin names, gives wonderful information on lighting, temperature, water, humidity & propigation of each species. The back of the book has many pages devoted to parasites & diseases and cures. The beginning of the book discusses "The 10 Golden Rules" of keeping house plants, how to choose the right plant, containers, placement & many other basic tips (great for beginners). There is a chart to help you identify what plant you have. Overall its a great book for the novice & expert!
  
  
• A Reference Guide to Return to Over and Over
  By on 1998-05-11
  I am a plant lover and I buy plants without knowing what they are or how to take care of them. "The Houseplant Expert" helped me identify each plant and told me how to take care of them. This is not a one time read. I refer to this book constantly to decide which plant to buy next or to address the care of the plants I have. A definite must have for any plant enthusiast.
  
  
• Not a basic easy to use book
  By on 2001-09-08
  I was hoping this book would help me save a couple of plants that I have for which I just didn't know what I was doing wrong. This book is not for beginners like myself. The book is very good at helping you identify the name of your plant, but there isn't much else. I thought since the book was the world's best seller of house plants, I would find out everything I need to know about how to take care of my houseplants.
  
  
• This book stays on my coffee table!
  By A3BND46LW6XSO3 on 2000-09-20
  This one is a keeper. A very informative book on house plants. I haven't found a book with this much information in years. Excellent photography and illustrations. The "secrets of success" section for each plant is very helpful. A must for houseplant lovers!
  
  
• All you need to know in one concise volume.
  By A12DP14GPRZF7E on 2004-06-08
  This beautifully illustrated and photographed book is a very informative and easy to use reference for anyone who wants authentic expert advice on growing and maintaining houseplants. This practically organized book is divided into nine readily accessible sections:
  * Plants in the Home: serves as an introduction to the book and gives some advice on choosing, buying, housing, and repotting plants, as well as learning the basic rules of care and creating the right growing conditions for your houseplants.
  * Displaying Indoor Plants: discusses the many considerations needed to be taken into account when keeping plants indoor, including mixing specimens, choosing pots, and selecting the right plant for each room.
  * The Classification of House Plants: includes foliage houseplants, flowering houseplants, flowering pot plants and cacti.
  * House Plants A-Z: is the most extensive alphabetized guide on houseplants in print in a single volume. Each plant's entry includes its image and/or picture, a description of its most common varieties, details on how to plant, grow and care for it, and a list of the ordinary problems that affect it.
  * Plant Care: gives instructions on how to optimize the natural elements that impact the plant's health, including temperature, light, water, humidity, and air.
  * Increasing Your Stock: explains how to successfully propagate houseplants by using the most suitable reproduction techniques.
  * Plant Troubles: presents advice on how to speedily prevent or correct each trouble.
  * Dictionary: defines both the technical and the not so technical terms used throughout the book.
  * An Index.
  This book deserves to be one of the best-sellers on houseplants because with its excellent selection of plants common to many countries and its clear, invaluable information it simply is an essential resource for anyone, whether beginner or professional, who wishes to grow and keep beautiful houseplants. I assure you that it's a book you will refer to time after time after time.
  --Reviewed by Maritza Volmar
  
  
• All you ever needed to know...
  By A1MNK0G29A2MF0 on 2000-05-17
  This book is for the layperson as well as horticultural professional. We supply wholesale plants nation wide to garden centers, florists and other retailers. This book is sent complimentary to help them care for the plants they have purchased. Well worth its weight in gold!
  
  
• Excellent, Authoritative, and Accessible
  By on 1997-05-09
  For years, I labored under the illusion that I had the "thumb of death." For me to even consider buying a houseplant was the proverbial kiss of death for the unfortunate subject. Fortunately, Dr. Hessayon's book has changed all of that, and two months later, I have a thriving avocado tree that I grew from the stone, a massive philodendron, a "parent" Syngonium and its smaller counterpart that I divided and transplanted, and finally, my pride and joy: A young Fescue tree that was nearly dead from root-rot, brought back to life, and bursting all over with hearty new growth! Thank you
  
  
• Great book
  By on 2000-01-26
  I've bought several books on this subject but never, until now, found one in which I could locate ALL of my many houseplants. The only complaint I have is that there aren't obvious instructions on pruning/training and such things.
  
  
• A little vague
  By on 2000-07-23
  I guess I was looking for something meatier, with more detailed information. I ordered the book in an attempt to save a jade plant that was rapidly dropping leaves. It died anyway because I could not tell if I had over- or under-watered it based on the descriptions in the book. This was only my first experience with the book. It may just be that I have a black thumb.
  
  
• House Plant Expert
  By A2KN39G7OLTX0I on 2001-04-12
  This is truly the best book I have ever seen for house plants. I can say this after extensive research. I have looked and looked for a book that truly tells you the information that is needed for proper care of plants. Dr. Hessayon leaves nothing to chance. He titled the book appropriately. Thanks Dr. Hessayon. I truly love this book. Everyone that loves house plants should have this book!
  
  
• Excellent reference
  By A3QEJ8GTWXKLV0 on 2001-04-14
  I own a few books on house plants but this is the one I pick up over and over again. It's the most comprehensive book on house plants and has some neat propagation techniques you can try at home. For an amateur gardener, it's great fun and informative too. No frills, just the facts.
  
  
• Not for everyone, browse through it before you buy!!!
  By on 2001-08-11
  The colored pictures and protographs are beautiful. Its strength is that it can help you identify most (if not all) house plants in the planet ! In fact, about 80-90% of the book is devoted to doing just that. If you want to become an expert on how to identify house plants, this is the ultimate book for you. But if you want to learn how to grow them sucessfully, this is not the best book you can buy. In summary, browse through it at bookstores before you decide to buy. It might or might not be for you....Jay
  
  
• Great Book!
  By on 2001-09-09
  This book has been great trying to determine what type of plants I have. I usually just buy what I visually like paying no attention to the type of plant it is. Then, when it starts to die, I start to wonder. :) This book has a great flowchart that walks you through determining the type of plants you have. Then, gives you all the skinny on taking care of it! It's great!!
  
  
• Already my favorite book for houseplant care and ideas
  By A17MBP8PDDGZ74 on 2002-01-17
  In addition to the basic information you'd expect to find in similar books, this book offers helpful, very-easy-to-understand insight about lighting, temperature, humidity, soil, container types and sizes, terrariums, ongoing care (including seasonal), diagnosis of problems and their remedies, and even a few tips about decorating. Information is clear and concise, but not abbreviated. I found this book to be excellent for beginners (like myself) because it uses regular English (albeit the Queen's) and clear illustrations. The plant-by-plant photographs are large, clear, and full of color. The book was published in England so you'll notice an occassional variation in spelling, but it included all of our current houseplants and I recognised - I mean, recognized - many others as common here in Michigan.
  
  
• an OK reference - not in depth
  By A1163HOY6UU7MJ on 2005-06-15
  As a college student I purchased this book just to learn a thing or two about how to keep a plant alive, and it's been an ok reference through the years. However, now that I have more plants, I'm finding I want more information and this book is not doing it. Troubleshooting is difficult because of the limited amount of information - this book makes broad strokes over the many types of houseplants, but gives little in-depth information about each. A fine reference for those who aren't very serious about their plants; if you are serious enough to actually remember the names of your plants, you might want to try something else.
  
  
• Excellent and thorough
  By ASW1EO7SA72O1 on 2002-06-17
  I am definitely not an expert when it comes to house plants but this book has been of real value to me. It is very thorough yet easy to understand and loaded with colour pictures so if you are not too sure what plants you do have you will surely find them in this book and learn how to look after them.
  Definitely a must have for home or plant pot gardeners
  
  
• Incredibly useful
  By A3RPECGI19SWSB on 2001-08-27
  I was recommended this by a horticulturalist friend and have found it a joy to have. Not only is it stacked with tips on care, lighting, growth rate, and a very useful section on ¡§pest and diseases.¡¨ It has drawings of nearly all houseplants on the market today (I live in Hong Kong, and some of the odd tropical plants were included). I was able to find out the scientific names and the popular name of some of my favorite plants and used that to look up further information on the web.

  It¡¦s a great reference book, and subsequently my plants have become a lot healthier. However, because I live in a sub-tropical area, my plants grow at a faster rate then stated in the book, so use this book as a reference depending on where you live. Still an over all useful book, and fun to peruse on a sunny afternoon. Highly recommended.
  
  

• Perfect for a new Gardener
  By ASXG52A51ERM on 2003-05-25
  This is one of a series of gardening books written by Dr Hessayon with the novice gardener in mind , and with the word "Expert" in the title. The reader can choose from The Rock and Water Garden Expert, The Garden DIY Expert (that's a common abbreviation in England for Do It Yourself), The Garden Expert, The Bedding Plant Expert, The Rose Plant Expert, The Lawn Expert, The Tree and Shrub Expert, The Flower Expert, The Fruit Expert, and The Vegetable Expert . Each follows a similar format and there is some overlap between them.

  The major part of each book is an alphabetical look at most of the well-known plants in the subject area. Each plant is well illustrated, given its common and Latin name, its appearance is described, and its requirements for heat, light, water etc. listed briefly.

  The "Expert" books offer sound basic advice about selecting and repotting plants, plant care, propagation and a section on diagnosing and treating common plant problems.

  These are practical, down-to-earth books, mostly for the new gardener. Not even the brownest thumb can go far wrong using the "Expert" books, and The House Plant Expert is said to be the world's best-selling book on houseplants.
  
  

• The perfect general purpose house plant book
  By A8L8RG07ATZS3 on 2004-08-23
  Other reviewers described the different book sections, so I won't. I love this book! I find the book perfect for the following uses:
  
  - I am sometimes given plants as gifts. I use the book to identify the plant, decide where to put it, and how to care for it.
  
  - I move frequently, and take plants with me if I can. The book helps me find the right spot for each plant in each new home, and helps me adapt the plant's care to the new environment. I re-read the book today to decide what kind of plants to put in which rooms of my next house.
  
  - The book describes how to coax blooms from holiday plants (eg. Christmas cactus, poinsettias)from year to year.
  
  - My husband has taken up cacti gardening. He used this book to get started.
  
  This book is a general house plant book; it is not a huge scientific book detailing each individual plant species and subspecies. But it's just about right for what I need.
  
  I am so impressed with this book, I'm planning to buy more from the author's series.
  
  
  
• Find this book!
  By A22XVOX9GER3H4 on 2000-07-18
  Wonderfully detailed and exhaustively complete. Great for figuring out what to do with plants you already have or for finding out what to get next.

  Not only is all the information there, it's written in a wonderful, fresh style, as Dr. Hessayon goes methodically from plant to plant to describe the appearance, care, and "secrets of success" for each. Well over 1,000 pictures help in identification.
  
  About the only flaw with this book (indeed with this series), is that Hessayon is British. Nothing wrong with that per se, but all the advice is geared toward a British reader. No USDA hardiness charts, different common names, wrong info on availability, etc. Minor nits when compared to the wealth of information you get.
  
  

• Very helpful for a beginner.
  By A19IUF068B73Q2 on 2000-05-16
  I was able to find all my plants, and choose better fits for some. Anyone past the beginner stage may not find this a good buy, would make a nice gift.
  
  
• The House Plant Expert
  By on 2003-06-28
  I do NOT have a green thumb, but this book was so easy to follow and it made indoor gardening extremely simple. Previously, I could not recognize the signs of a plant in need (i.e. watering, too much sun exposure, natural age progression, etc.). Now I have made small cards to stick in each plant that tells me what I need to do to nurse them back to health if they look "sad." I would never have known these remedies if it weren't for the easy read of The House Plant Expert. If you do not know what kind of indoor plant you have, they are easy to look up by photo. Originally my green-thumbed sister gave me an old copy of the book and I got hooked! I ordered myself one, one for my mother-in-law and often loan mine to friends in need! I highly recommend this one!
  
  

• The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual: Essential Gardening Know-How for Keeping (Not Killing) More Than 160 Indoor Plants
• The Houseplant Encyclopedia
• How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office
• Indoor Plants: The Essential Guide to Choosing and Caring for Houseplants
• The Complete Guide to Houseplants: The Easy Way to Choose and Grow Healthy, Happy Houseplants