Tropical Foliage Plants: A Grower's Guide

Rating:
Summary: Best Houseplant Book Available
Review: Books on houseplants normally give a nice picture a short description of the plant with some cultural hints. I've always been disappointed with the limited information available on these common plants. In my opinion, lack of proper information is why so many people think they have a "brown thumb." Recently, while scanning through the Ball Publishing Catalog, I discovered a wonderful book on houseplants.

Lynn P. Griffith, Jr. Tropical Foliage Plants: A Grower's Guide. Ball Publishing. 1998.

Lynn Griffith, the author, is President of the A&L Southern Agricultural Laboratories, Inc. that does agricultural testing and consulting work for clients in Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. He has written many articles for technical journals about growing plants based on his trial and error learning and results of the testing he does for clients. This book pulls together his knowledge on the most common foliage plants.

Tropical Foliage Plants: A Grower's Guide is actually written for the grower producing foliage plants for local greenhouses, florist shops, and other stores. Since it is written in easy to understand language, it is also suitable for the hobbyist grower. Griffith provides information on habitat (where the plant originated), uses, varieties, propagation, culture, nutrition, diseases, insect and mite pests, disorders, tricks, and interior care of each plant covered.

The book is organized using the scientific name with the common name given also in the titles. Here is a complete list of the plants discussed:
Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen)
Anthurium
Aphelandra (Zebra plant)
Aralia/Polyscias
Araucaria (Norfolk Island pine)
Asparagus
Bromeliads: Aechmea, Billbergia, Guzmania, Neoregelia, Nidularium, Tillandsia, Vriesa
Caladium
Calathea
Chamaedorea (Parlor/Bamboo Palms)
Chlorophytum (Spider plants)
Chrysalidocarpus (Areca palms)
Cissus (Grape Ivy)
Codiaeum (Croton)
Cordelier (Ti plant)
Dieffenbachia (Dumb cane)
Dizygotheca (False Aralia)
Dracaena deremensis (Janet Craig, Warneckii)
Dracaena fragrans (Corn plant)
Dracaena marginata (Dragon tree)
Epipremnum (Pothos)
Fatsia
Ferns: Adiantum, Asplenium, Davallia, Nephrolepis, Platycerium, Pteris
Ficus benjamina and Ficus retusa (weeping figs)
Ficus lyrata (Fiddle-leaf fig), Ficus elastica (Rubber plant), Ficus maclellandii (Alii)
Gardenia
Hedera (English ivy)
Heliconia
Hibiscus
Howea (Kentia palm)
Maranta (prayer plant)
Peperomia

Philodendron
Phoenix (Date palm)
Ravenea (Majesty palm)
Rhapis (Lady Palm)
Schefflera actinophylla (Umbrella tree)
Schefflera arboricola (Dwarf Schefflera)
Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily)
Succulents: Beaucarnea, Crassula, Euphorbia, Hoya, Sansevieria
Succulents: Cacti
Sygonium (Nephthytis)
Yucca
Other foliage varieties: Acalypha (Copper leaf and Chenille plants), Aeschynanthus (Lipstick plant), Ardisia, Aspidistra (Cast iron plant), Bambusa (Bamboo), Begonia, Caryota (Fishtail palm), Fittonia (Nerve plant), Homalomena (Emerald Gem), Pilea, Plectranthus (Swedish ivy), Radermachera (China doll), Saintpaulia (African Violet), Sinningia (Gloxinia), Strelitzia (Bird of paradise, Tolmiea (Piggyback plant), Zebrina (Wandering Jew).

Strengths

Information is presented in an easy-to-read and well organized format. If necessary, the information is presented in two ways. Example: Temperature is expressed both in Fahrenheit and Centigrade.
Growers will find the technical information needed to grow these plants in a greenhouse setting.
A photographic section shows common problems.
Information is presented on using the plants in interior settings so the hobbyist has enough information to grow them well. This includes giving fertilizer information in terms of "teaspoons per gallon" and light levels needed expressed as foot candles and klux.
References for each plant are included so the grower or hobbyist will have an easier time finding additional information.

Weaknesses
Colored pictures for each plant would eliminate the need of looking up the plant in other identification books.
This book would be even more valuable to the hobbyist grower if a page of abbreviations and their meaning had been provided.
I strongly feel the plants listed under Other Foliage Varieties should have been given more attention. These plants are common in my local florist shops and garden centers.

General Comments

This book will remain on my bookshelves for as long as I grow houseplants! I learned why my effort at growing so many foliage plants has left me less than satisfied with the results. I didn't realize how many plants were sensitive to fluoride in the water or that they were sensitive to alkaline water. As a result of reading this book, I will either select different plant species to grow inside or I will invest in a distilling system. I also learned that most common houseplants need an acidic (low Ph) potting media. Since my local water is very alkaline, all my plants wind up in media with a high Ph. This is something else I must address in order to do my best at growing many common foliage plants.

Those houseplant lovers who collect all the plant species possible will find this book an absolute necessity. It will be one of your most used houseplant books.

Rating:
Summary: Best Houseplant Book Available
Review: Books on houseplants normally give a nice picture a short description of the plant with some cultural hints. I've always been disappointed with the limited information available on these common plants. In my opinion, lack of proper information is why so many people think they have a "brown thumb." Recently, while scanning through the Ball Publishing Catalog, I discovered a wonderful book on houseplants.

Lynn P. Griffith, Jr. Tropical Foliage Plants: A Grower's Guide. Ball Publishing. 1998.

Lynn Griffith, the author, is President of the A&L Southern Agricultural Laboratories, Inc. that does agricultural testing and consulting work for clients in Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. He has written many articles for technical journals about growing plants based on his trial and error learning and results of the testing he does for clients. This book pulls together his knowledge on the most common foliage plants.

Tropical Foliage Plants: A Grower's Guide is actually written for the grower producing foliage plants for local greenhouses, florist shops, and other stores. Since it is written in easy to understand language, it is also suitable for the hobbyist grower. Griffith provides information on habitat (where the plant originated), uses, varieties, propagation, culture, nutrition, diseases, insect and mite pests, disorders, tricks, and interior care of each plant covered.

The book is organized using the scientific name with the common name given also in the titles. Here is a complete list of the plants discussed:
Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen)
Anthurium
Aphelandra (Zebra plant)
Aralia/Polyscias
Araucaria (Norfolk Island pine)
Asparagus
Bromeliads: Aechmea, Billbergia, Guzmania, Neoregelia, Nidularium, Tillandsia, Vriesa
Caladium
Calathea
Chamaedorea (Parlor/Bamboo Palms)
Chlorophytum (Spider plants)
Chrysalidocarpus (Areca palms)
Cissus (Grape Ivy)
Codiaeum (Croton)
Cordelier (Ti plant)
Dieffenbachia (Dumb cane)
Dizygotheca (False Aralia)
Dracaena deremensis (Janet Craig, Warneckii)
Dracaena fragrans (Corn plant)
Dracaena marginata (Dragon tree)
Epipremnum (Pothos)
Fatsia
Ferns: Adiantum, Asplenium, Davallia, Nephrolepis, Platycerium, Pteris
Ficus benjamina and Ficus retusa (weeping figs)
Ficus lyrata (Fiddle-leaf fig), Ficus elastica (Rubber plant), Ficus maclellandii (Alii)
Gardenia
Hedera (English ivy)
Heliconia
Hibiscus
Howea (Kentia palm)
Maranta (prayer plant)
Peperomia

Philodendron
Phoenix (Date palm)
Ravenea (Majesty palm)
Rhapis (Lady Palm)
Schefflera actinophylla (Umbrella tree)
Schefflera arboricola (Dwarf Schefflera)
Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily)
Succulents: Beaucarnea, Crassula, Euphorbia, Hoya, Sansevieria
Succulents: Cacti
Sygonium (Nephthytis)
Yucca
Other foliage varieties: Acalypha (Copper leaf and Chenille plants), Aeschynanthus (Lipstick plant), Ardisia, Aspidistra (Cast iron plant), Bambusa (Bamboo), Begonia, Caryota (Fishtail palm), Fittonia (Nerve plant), Homalomena (Emerald Gem), Pilea, Plectranthus (Swedish ivy), Radermachera (China doll), Saintpaulia (African Violet), Sinningia (Gloxinia), Strelitzia (Bird of paradise, Tolmiea (Piggyback plant), Zebrina (Wandering Jew).

Strengths

Information is presented in an easy-to-read and well organized format. If necessary, the information is presented in two ways. Example: Temperature is expressed both in Fahrenheit and Centigrade.
Growers will find the technical information needed to grow these plants in a greenhouse setting.
A photographic section shows common problems.
Information is presented on using the plants in interior settings so the hobbyist has enough information to grow them well. This includes giving fertilizer information in terms of "teaspoons per gallon" and light levels needed expressed as foot candles and klux.
References for each plant are included so the grower or hobbyist will have an easier time finding additional information.

Weaknesses
Colored pictures for each plant would eliminate the need of looking up the plant in other identification books.
This book would be even more valuable to the hobbyist grower if a page of abbreviations and their meaning had been provided.
I strongly feel the plants listed under Other Foliage Varieties should have been given more attention. These plants are common in my local florist shops and garden centers.

General Comments

This book will remain on my bookshelves for as long as I grow houseplants! I learned why my effort at growing so many foliage plants has left me less than satisfied with the results. I didn't realize how many plants were sensitive to fluoride in the water or that they were sensitive to alkaline water. As a result of reading this book, I will either select different plant species to grow inside or I will invest in a distilling system. I also learned that most common houseplants need an acidic (low Ph) potting media. Since my local water is very alkaline, all my plants wind up in media with a high Ph. This is something else I must address in order to do my best at growing many common foliage plants.

Those houseplant lovers who collect all the plant species possible will find this book an absolute necessity. It will be one of your most used houseplant books.