The House Plant Expert Book Two

The Expert Series

by D.G. Hessayon

Well known and respected author of gardening books.

Genres: Gardening, Reference, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2005

About the author

David Gerald Hessayon was a British author and botanist of Cypriot descent who is known for a best-selling series of paperback gardening manuals known as the "Expert Guides" under his title Dr. D. G. Hessayon. The series started in 1958 with Be Your Own Gardening Expert and in 2008 it celebrated its 50th anniversary and the 50 millionth copy in print. They have become the best selling gardening books in history.

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my favorite gardening book series, and like all the others this book is well laid out and packed with useful information. However it seems to be a collection of briefer sections on topics covered more in depth in other books in this series. I have the first House Plant book and the Orchid book. There’s also a book on Containers that I checked out of the library. This book purports to include plants introduced as houseplants in the last ten years (as of 2005), but skimming through I didn’t recognize any.

I checked this out from the library to see if it was worth buying, but I think the info I need is better covered by the other books I own in this series. I’d specifically recommend the first volume, The House Plant Expert in place of this one.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very similar to the first, and I have similar issues with it. Both try to cover too much in too little space--general and specific plant care, plant arrangements, interior decoration, DIY projects, history, etc. This book tries to do all that in just 127 pages!!

Book two is meant to be read following the first and adds care information for 200 additional plant varieties. The care information is still too brief to be useful. Furthermore, many of the species included are annual "pot plants" that most people I know aren't likely to bring into the house.

This book does contain a nice chapter on common house plant problems (issues with reflowering, collapse, watering, etc.) and it provides some nice diagrams about diagnosing those issues.

[Robyn Obermeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book and the photos I consider myself a plant expert but the thing I love the most about plants is you never know it all! There are always new plants ,changing weather , and different ways of doing things! It never gets boring!

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Less than half the size of book 1. There are some additional care tips and arrangement ideas, but again, mostly a plant glossary.