The House Plant Expert

The core of the book is an alphabetical directory of house plants, each with pictures and notes on the light, temperature, watering, humidity and feeding it needs, along with tips on repotting and propagation. Symbols and short descriptions make the information quick to find, and the book explains which plants are easy for beginners and which need more care.

Other sections cover the general principles of plant care, such as choosing the right place for a plant, how to water correctly, and how to deal with pests, diseases and common problems like yellowing leaves or a plant that refuses to flower. There is advice on displaying plants, growing them in groups and bottle gardens, and keeping them healthy through the seasons. The style is compact and practical, typical of the Expert series, and the book has been revised and reprinted many times. Some of the plant names and products may be dated in older editions.

Practical, thorough and handy to keep on the shelf, the kind of reference that rescues struggling plants and gives new growers the confidence to try something new. About 256 pages in the Expert Books paperback.