Rating: 
Summary: One of the best tropical plant books out there!
Review: okay, I know some readers gave this 5 stars but I was rather disappointed with the photo's in this book considering the price. The pics to me were quite small generally. Additionally, there are only photo's for a few of the plants described. Most of the entries had no illustrations at all. In other words, let's say there are an average of 4-6 plants described for each 2 page spread, {left and right}, there might be one, very infrequently two, very small, washed out looking photos for only one out of all the plants listed on that page. Also, I have to say that the pictures in general were not only small but they also seemed like they were very old; ie.. rather like drab pics from someone's 1964 honeymoon in Hawaii. For what are incredibly colorful and dramatic plants, these small pictures seemed almost monochromatic! {and considering the subject matter I would consider this an almost criminal offense !!}. Sorry to be so critical but there it is; this is actually the first book I have ever had to return that I bought from Amazon and the first book put out by Timber Press that I was not utterly thrilled with. Normally Timber Pr. can be counted on for really fantastic stuff. In fact they have a few other titles that cover the same material much better than this. I highly recommend you take a look at those before you fork over the $'s for this one. My apologies to the author.
Rating: 
Summary: sorry I can't agree
Review: okay, I know some readers gave this 5 stars but I was rather disappointed with the photo's in this book considering the price. The pics to me were quite small generally. Additionally, there are only photo's for a few of the plants described. Most of the entries had no illustrations at all. In other words, let's say there are an average of 4-6 plants described for each 2 page spread, {left and right}, there might be one, very infrequently two, very small, washed out looking photos for only one out of all the plants listed on that page. Also, I have to say that the pictures in general were not only small but they also seemed like they were very old; ie.. rather like drab pics from someone's 1964 honeymoon in Hawaii. For what are incredibly colorful and dramatic plants, these small pictures seemed almost monochromatic! {and considering the subject matter I would consider this an almost criminal offense !!}. Sorry to be so critical but there it is; this is actually the first book I have ever had to return that I bought from Amazon and the first book put out by Timber Press that I was not utterly thrilled with. Normally Timber Pr. can be counted on for really fantastic stuff. In fact they have a few other titles that cover the same material much better than this. I highly recommend you take a look at those before you fork over the $'s for this one. My apologies to the author.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent reference for creating the tropical look.
Review: Riffle has gifted serious plant collectors and those seeking to create the tropical ambience in their gardens, no matter what zone. Deservedly an AHS award winner, Riffle's book details in layman's language what to expect from thousands of exotic plants that we can enjoy on our own turf. A must for the adventurous gardener and the pro wanting creating their own gardens of Eden.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent reference for creating the tropical look.
Review: Riffle has gifted serious plant collectors and those seeking to create the tropical ambience in their summer gardens, no matter what zone. Deservedly an AHS award winner, Riffle's book details in layman's language what to expect from thousands of exotic plants that we can enjoy on our own turf. A must for the adventurous gardener and the pro wanting creating their own gardens of Eden.
Rating:
Summary: Horticultural Book Of The Year
Review: Robert Lee Riffle's The Tropical Look has been in my library for approximately one year. It has become my most-used horticultural reference. The American Horticultural Society named it the society's Book of the Year. It has also become my own personal horticultural book of the year.
Rating:
Summary: Get Tropical with this Great Reference
Review: The Tropical Look is a fantastic addition to my husband's gardening library. We dearly love the tropical look, and many people don't realize how many tropical-looking plants will thrive in temperate zones. Everything we grow is in this book, but my reasons for liking this book are many. It includes a zone map for the US and Europe too. It explains the importance of referring to plants by their botanical names, and then helps overcome the verbal stumbling blocks by including a pronunciation key. It also explains that many plants which look tropical are able to withstand freezes and offers some methods for growing these plants in zones 7 or less. The format is also easy to use for quick reference. Each plant has a list indicating briefly the description, zone rating, sun preference, water requirements, soil preference, and method of propagation.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard to identify plants.
Review: There were not enough photos for me to successfully indentify even the few tropicals that I have. I feel you have to really know your plants to be able to decipher from just written descriptions what you have or would like to have.
Rating:
Summary: difficult
Review: This book is lacking pictures. As someone who lives in the tropics I would have appreciated it if next to the plant names there were photos of the plant described. For the "lay" gardener I would not recommend this book. It did not help me in my search for plant names at all...
Rating:
Summary: I love THE TROPICAL LOOK!
Review: This book just received the American Horticultural Society's Garden Book of the Year Award. It's filled with over 400 color photos of tropical and tropical-looking plants from both coasts -- Lotusland in Santa Barbara, the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek CA, the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, Fairchild Tropical Garden in FL, David Fairchild's home in Coral Gables (The Kampong), Texas gardens and various other locations around the country and the world. The plants are easily found in alphabetical order, first by genus and then by species (with nearly 5,000 species, cultivars and hybrids listed) and the pronounciation of each has been mercifully included. The encyclopedia portion of the book also includes the plant's family name, the plant's common name, the growing zone, light and moisture requirements, special considerations of the plants and how to propagate. The author's obvious love of these plants shows through in the lively descriptions, and when you're reading about a new discovery you have Mr. Riffle sharing your passion for the plant and telling you what you need to know to ensure its survival. Chapters following the encyclopedia read like horticultural cheat sheets for those of us without formal training who want to learn: If you don't know your leaf shapes from a hole in the ground, illustrations and names are in the back of the book along with illustrations of other leaf terms, inflorescences and stems, and flower shapes and parts. A glossary complements the illustrations with definitions of terms such as "ovate" or "petiole" as well as words commonly used such as "perennial." Also in the back of the book is a conversion chart for fahrenheit to celsius, inches to centimeters and feet to meters along with formulas for conversion if you don't want to take the entire table with you. Plant lists are included for those with a landscapes to fill and special needs to be addressed such as which plants are salt tolerant, erosion controlling, fast growing or drought tolerant. If you know you want tropical-looking plants but don't know where to begin, there are lists such as ferns, fragrant plants, groundcover plants, shrubs, trees, and hedge and screening plants. I leave The Tropical Look on the desk and am constantly using it as a reference when reading other garden books or magazine articles. Obviously, I love this book!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely gorgeous!!
Review: This is a breath-taking book, purely in visual terms; I've rarely seen botanical photographs of such quality and beauty. Above and beyond the sheer gorgeousness of the pictures, though, is the readable, thorough, and thoroughly excellent descriptive text. Mr. Riffle holds the (rather dubious) honor of having been the botanical expert who advised me on the where, when, how, and what it looks like of plants from Europe to the New World, for four very detailed historical novels (OUTLANDER, etc.). So _I_ knew how good he was; it's wonderful that now the rest of the world can share his expertise!
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