Synopses & Reviews
Original and unique, this guide to luscious, choice indoor plants will convert anyone to a passion for gardening indoors. The possibilities presented are dazzling — lush flowering vines or petite carnivorous plants, intoxicating fragrant jasmine or spiky sculptural succulents. Included are chapters on sustenance, container choices, light, water and temperature requirements, propagation, pests and diseases, even how to summer plants outdoors and travel with them on holidays. Over 200 gorgeous color photographs round out the detailed descriptions of 175 choice plants native to both tropical and temperate regions. In her entertaining style, plant fanatic Ellen Zachos invites everyone, from the horticulturally clueless to the avidly addicted, to share her passion for exotic and unusual indoor plants.
Review
"If you want to create a windowsill collection to rival any outdoor garden in beauty and personality, read
Tempting Tropicals."
—Meghan Lynch, Horticulture, Fall 2006 Horticulture
Review
"A well-rounded reference ... entries include something for every taste, from oddly alluring species to dramatic, architectural selections and beguiling flowers."
—Alice Joyce, Booklist, October 1, 2005 Booklist
Review
"Thorough practical advice on 175 plants that are native to both tropical and temperate regions encourages the houseplant enthusiast to experiment with flowering vines, petite carnivorous plants, maples, palms, and many more."
—The Bookseller, April 15, 2005 The Bookseller
Synopsis
An original and comprehensive guide to luscious houseplants, including feeding, container choice, light, water, temperature requirements, propagation, and pests and diseases. Features 210 gorgeous color photographs and detailed descriptions of 175 choice plants that are native to both tropical and temperate regions
About the Author
Ellen Zachos teaches at the New York Botanical Garden, where she is also the coordinator of the gardening program in Continuing Education. She lectures on houseplants for horticultural organizations around the world, including the Horticultural Society of New York and the Central Park Conservancy. As a professional photographer, she illustrates her lectures with high-quality slides. Ellen is a Harvard graduate and received certificates in commercial horticulture (both garden design and plant production) and ethnobotany from the New York Botanical Garden. She also studied at the Albert- Ludwigs-Universitt in Freiburg, Germany. Her published works cover topics such as interior landscaping, container gardening, xeriscaping, and annual and perennial plants. Her work has been published in Woman's Day, Parenting, and New Mexico Magazine. Ellen is also a frequent contributor to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's handbook series. Ellen, her husband, and their two cats live in Milford, Pennsylvania and New York City.