The Little Book of House Plants and Other Greenery

by Emma Sibley

House plants are having a moment. Inexpensive to purchase, easy to care for and a statement in any space they inhabit, growing these plants is virtually foolproof.

The Little Book of House Plants and Other Greenery is a source of green inspiration for small-space gardening, featuring a directory of 60 of the most popular varieties of foliage to own. From dramatic palms and tropical leafy wonders to beautiful ferns and flowering potted plants – this book covers everything you need to know about nurturing and growing your own.

Each of the 60 plants is accompanied by luscious photography and an easy-to-follow breakdown of all the essential requirements for that variety. This includes details on size, growth and flowering, along with any extra tips on caring for that specific plant.

Genres: Nonfiction, Plants, Gardening, Nature, Reference, Lifestyle, Collections

147 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 19, 2018

Reviews

[June García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bkn, súper completos los consejos que da en torno al riego, luz, propagación y otras infos sobre las plantitas. El único pero es que hay varias plantas que yo no he visto en Chile uwu.

[Chandra Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good intro to houseplants, I was just hoping it would have a bit more info about each plant.

[Molly Cawthorn-Matre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super helpful and informative for beginner houseplant growers! Nice to know the scientific names of my plants too

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been trying to get more into house plants and this book is a beautifully designed reference of many popular house plants (though Pathos aren't in it?? I though that was a go-to for your non-green thumbs!)

The images are beautiful, the info us short and to the point. There were a few times where I wished she had gone into a bit more detail about certain things. Or maybe I just need a plants for dummies book.

I definitely recommend it and will reference it in the future.

[Alan Cohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with info about most house plants plants and their requirements

[Dianelys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute book, perfect for decorating your coffee table. It contains simple information about some of the most common indoor plants.

[Skylar · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Little Book of House Plants and Other Greenery,” is an informational indoor gardening book by Emma Sibley. The book covers many interesting topics such as tools, propagation, information on many indoor plants, and much more. The book provides lighting, watering, and other growing information on around fifty-eight beautiful indoor plants. While the book had a lot of useful information there were some topic that weren’t covered as much as they should have been and leave the reader feeling a bit confused. For example, Sibley doesn’t explain different directions of lighting and what direction of lighting suits each plant, which is very important. There are also many times when the author says that a plant needs bright, indirect light, without explaining in detail what that might look like which is confusing to a beginner. On page twenty-four, the page explaining the needs of an alocasia, Sibley says, “...this plant enjoys a bright but indirect sunlight,” but, many beginners don’t know whether that is near a gentle south facing window or in the corner of a room with harsh western lighting, which I’ve found is the difference between life and death for a plant. Overall this is a good book and it does give useful tips and tricks, but it is lacking in certain areas of description.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for 🌿the little book of House Plants and other greenery by emma sibley! 🌱
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This is the third book I have read by Sibley and it was just as lovely and informational as the first two!
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I appreciate that the format for her "little books of" for how her pages are designed and executed for giving us information on each plant while also using space to celebrate each plants beauty and support her local ceramicists pottery!
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As this is the third book of Sibley's that I have read, I have been reflecting on how I take care of plants and I wonder if i largely overcomplicate the idea of plant care. Sibley's books lay out the basics and kind of guidelines for what we as plant owners need to do and pay attention to for taking care of our plants. It seems so easy sometimes, but I also wonder if I overall overcomplicate plant care?
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Sibley's books are also pocket-beginner guides to help start caring for plants and to find the right plant for you as the owner.
✨🌿🌱🪴🎍✨

[Nathan Hodgson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little keeper of a book. I was able to identify my plethora of dying houseplants, now need to change all their positions and care plans, and want to buy more!

[Daniel Stitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Sibley’s A Little Book of House Plants is a visually stunning guide, packed with high-quality photography and vibrant plant scenes that make it a joy to flip through. Despite its compact size, the book is dense with valuable and relevant information about various houseplants, making it a great resource for beginners looking to expand their knowledge.

That said, the book leans more toward being an encyclopedia of plant care rather than a guide to interior design. While I initially hoped for more discussion on how to enhance interior spaces with plants, I can’t fault the book for staying true to its intended purpose. As a result, I plan to follow this read with a book that focuses specifically on design aesthetics with houseplants.

Overall, this is a solid starting point for anyone interested in incorporating greenery into their home, offering a strong foundation in plant care before diving into the design aspect.

[Dasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This simple book is great for people new to the plant world. Each page includes a picture of the plant and a short page of text. Sibley uses a series of symbols to represent basic things plants need such as light, water, propagation, warnings, and humidity (among others). This makes it easy for quick references as well. I wish this book included more on toxicity levels for pets. There is only one plant with a major warning for toxicity despite many other plants being listed as toxic on the Humane Society's comprehensive list of toxic and non-toxic plants. This is my reason for 3 stars, so if this is not a concern to you then it is definitely worth your time!

[Julia Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book on indoor plants that combines practical info with eye-candy pics, nice to inspire you on what plants to buy next and give you some care help with the plants you have already. Even if the book covers only 60 plants, the plants are well selected to cover plants people currently own. I own (or used to own...sad sigh at the memory of my dead plants) 20 of those 60 plants over the last 2 years. Even if I read a couple of books on indoor plants over the last 2 years, I still enjoyed reading this book and I found new tips I did not encounter in other books.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book has really good basic information, has a pretty decent array of all the most common house plants and is set out beautifully! theres also a nice easy glossary at the back and links to products used in the photos - its not gonna have the super in depth plant facts you might want if thats more your thing but it doesnt set out to fulfil that, its a perfect beginners guide!

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun beginners book with quick tips and beautiful photos. This book is useful because it's not daunting, but it still lacks a lot of contextual and specific information (definitions, directions, etc...). This is the perfect book for someone just getting into caring for house-plants, but the information in it is a little to shallow for a veteran.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s cute as a ready reference, but not necessarily what I was looking for in the way of more in-depth information.

Super cute book, though. I enjoyed looking at the plant profiles and the pictures, of course. Gonna get myself a rubber tree! 🪴

[shion tia ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice notes and tips with cute accompanying graphics, amazing photography, wish it was organised either by alphabet or species/ habitats by Anything really, but other than that is a wonderful handly little book and I ordered a copy for my mother who recently got into her plants :)

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent 👌 book with many varieties of house plants, directions for care, and colorful pictures. Would love to try several of these plants, especially the Pink Quill. Would also love to try a few plants in a terrarium!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures and lots of information!

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok but can I have an anthurium crystallinum now?

[McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this little book! Perfect little coffee table book and great images and descriptions inside. Useful and more fun to look at the plant information in this book than on google!

[Gabrielle Borggaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Handy reference book

Easy to access information about indoor plants which is great for a plant novice like me who is more likely to over water😃

[Emma Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful little book! Limited to only a few plants, but to be expected for what's essentially more a coffee table book

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little coffee table read. Good information on which common houseplants I could actually keep alive in my home of little light. Beautiful photography!

[Edy Gies · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a practical helpful starter book but it didn’t go into a lot of detail. All the information was readily available online so it seemed like just a collection of web pages.

[Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little guide.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference book

[Mariana Rivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

I became the plant lady

[Sarah Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous photos, helpful and easy to digest the info!

[Samantha Kurtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun little book about houseplants! It’s the same set up as her succulent book. It’s filled with care info and little tidbits about houseplants. A great, simple resource for all houseplant lovers.

[Dario]

Nice little catalogue of common house plants, containing succinct info apropos the basics of care: light, water, humidity, propagation etc. The images are great and feature some beautiful pots as a bonus

A good springboard for your budding house plant collection