A Tropical Garden Flora

“A beautifully illustrated reference book covers the origins, ecology and history of popular garden plants.” —Shelf Awareness The oldest rose fossil was found in Colorado and dates to 35 million years ago. Marigolds, infamous for their ability to self-seed, are named for an Etruscan god who sprang from a ploughed field. And daffodils—an icon of spring—were introduced to Britain by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago. Every garden plant has an origination story, and Garden Flora, by noted garden designer Noel Kingsbury, shares them in a beautifully compelling way. This lushly illustrated survey of 133 of the most commonly grown plants explains where each plant came from and the journey it took into home gardens. Kingsbury tells intriguing tales of the most important plant hunters, breeders, and gardeners throughout history, and explores the unexpected ways plants have been used. Richly illustrated with an eclectic mix of new and historical photos, botanical art, and vintage seed packets and catalogs, Garden Flora is a must-have reference for every gardener and plant lover.

"This second edition is in a smaller format than the first, with additional photos and a new section on the Osa Peninsula. More than 800 photographs, taken in the field, show entire plants and closer views of flowers, fruits, and seeds. Pen-and-ink drawings depict botanical details. The text covers identifying characteristics, natural history, chemical properties, economic importance, medicinal uses, conservation, ethnobotany, and ecology"--

"This unique encyclopedic treatment of tropical gardening was written specifically for Malaysia and Singapore, but it will be a valuable resource for gardeners in the American tropics as well. Included are detailed, illustrated listings of herbaceous plants, shrubs and climbers, trees and palms, foliage plants, orchids, vegetables, and fruit trees." "The adventurous gardener will find inspiration and challenges in the distinctive plant materials presented. The book assumes the mostly wet tropical climate of Malaysia, and adjustments will have to be made for local conditions of Hawaii and southern California and Florida, but the authors - distinguished botanists with long experience in the tropics - provide useful guidance on the requirements for each plant." "The breathtaking spectrum of tropical plants illustrated will be of extraordinary interest not only to sophisticated gardeners in tropical areas but to greenhouse enthusiasts everywhere."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Nearly three hundred full-color photographs complement a tour of the most beautiful gardens of Hawaii, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Bali, presenting a wide array of public and private gardens along with a detailed discussion of garden design, plant selection, history, and cultural traditions. Reprint.

The European Garden Flora is the definitive manual for the accurate identification of cultivated ornamental flowering plants. Designed to meet the highest scientific standards, the vocabulary has nevertheless been kept as uncomplicated as possible so that the work is fully accessible to the informed gardener as well as to the professional botanist. This new edition has been thoroughly reorganised and revised, bringing it into line with modern taxonomic knowledge. Although European in name, the Flora covers plants cultivated in most areas of the United States and Canada as well as in non-tropical parts of Asia and Australasia. Volume 5 completes the series, and includes many important ornamental families, such as Labiatae, Solanaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Acanthaceae, Campanulaceae, and the largest family of Dicotyledons, the Compositae.

A superb reference for anyone interested in the world's tropical flora.

The European Garden Flora is the definitive manual for the accurate identification of cultivated ornamental plants. It is designed to meet the highest scientific standards but the vocabulary is kept as uncomplicated as possible so that it is fully accessible to the informed gardener and landscape architect as well as to the professional botanists. Although based upon Europe the series will be an extremely useful reference on plants in cultivation throughout the world. Families, genera and species are described, keys are provided and guidance is given on the cultivation of each genus. Volume I is the first in a series of six; it contains accounts of the ferns and their allies, the conifers and 16 families of monocotyledons, including the Liliaceae, Amaryllidaceae and Iridaceae, to which most of the popular bulbous garden plants belong.