Tempting Tropicals

175 Irresistible Indoor Plants

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.

Media reviews of this book:

"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

"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

"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."

—Bookseller, April 15, 2005

"Before buying an indoor plant, it's important to determine if it's right for your home. ... Get your hands on a good reference book. Try Tempting Tropicals."

—Newsday, February 16, 2008

"In this original and comprehensive guide to luscious houseplants, Ellen's enthusiasm, like the plants, is irresistible."

—Rainy Side Gardeners, May 8, 2006

Read more media reviews

Customer reviews of this book:

"Excellent book."

—Dawn W. from Denison, Texas, May 12, 2006

"I learned a lot about the house plants I have — how to prune and make them grow better."

—Marcia S. from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, May 4, 2006

"Excellent!"

—Maud M. from Great Falls, Virginia, April 5, 2006

"Love the book."

—Dianne B. from Kauhlui, Hawaii, January 12, 2006

"With 18° temperatures outside it gives me hope for things to come."

—Larry W. from Kokomo, Indiana, December 19, 2005

An excerpt from this book:

Plants are enormously adaptable, and thank goodness for that. We ask them to grow without sunlight and they do. We try to grow them without soil, and they oblige. But without water there is no plant life, of that you can be sure. So let's talk about what every plant absolutely must have in order to survive — H20. Watering a plant sounds simple, but in fact it is an art. Overwater and you kill the plant. Underwater and you kill the plant. The symptoms of both can look bafflingly similar. In essence, what happens is the same. When plants are watered too infrequently, their roots don't absorb enough water, and the plant shrivels and dies ...

Read the whole excerpt