The Kew Gardener’s Guide to Growing House Plants: The art and science to grow your own house plants (Volume 3)

by Kay Maguire, Jason Ingram (Photographer)

Which are delicate and which indestructable? - We show how to find the right home for your plants and the right plants for your home. 
KEW GROWING HOUSE PLANTS is a beautifully illustrated giftable gardening reference book, combining exquisite botanical illustrations with practical indoor projects. Readers can discover over 70 life-changing plants and 12 home-transforming projects. Each project is described and illustrated with step-by-step photographs. Starting from the premise that we want to show how to grow the right plant in the right place, we demonstrate the benefits of all common house plants and how to care and curate them in the home. Includes cacti, succulents, bromeliads including air plants, foliage house plants, flowering house plants, house plants for scent and air freshening.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Plants, Guides, Education

144 pages, Hardcover

First published March 5, 2019

Reviews

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5. Good enough reference book about plant. At first it present the basis knowledge about plant and how to take care of them and after it show a variety of plant with specific information on each of them. Good, well done, easy to understand but at the same time, its strength is also its weakness, because it is a bit too simple in its information and for the plants well, it present a good variety but if the plant you are interested in aren't there... well... So good but limited book, would be a nice introduction and companion for the newcomers but nothing more then that!

[Kat (Katlovesbooks) Dietrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing House Plants by Kay Maguire and Kew Botanical Gardens is a helpful guide to house plants.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the published by Quarto Publishing Group (White Lion Publishing), and of course the authors, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:
Basically this is an illustrated guide for indoor plant lovers.

It includes information on over 70 indoor plants, and shows you where they should be placed in a home, and how to make sure you are watering enough, and transplanting them when needed.

As well, there is information on compost, and cleaning, and cuttings, and feeding…and the information goes on.

Included are cacti, succulents, bromeliads,  air plants, foliage house plants, flowering house plants, and house plants for scent and air freshening.

My Opinions:
I am impressed. The amount of straight-forward information this book provides is amazing.

The introduction alone is worth the price of this book. It covered everything that a beginner to a seasoned veteran of house plants needs to know, or be reminded of. From making sure the plant you just purchased is placed in the proper place/position in your house, to making sure you use the proper soil when re-planting. The section on propagation includes which plants should use which method.

Once you hit the actual “Plants” Section, it will tell you the temperature, type of light, water, where to grow, how to grow, and a “tip”. Included is a sketch or picture of the plant. The pictures are really good. (Remember to read this book on your computer or a colour e-reader/tablet).

What I found really interesting, is that although the common names may differ between North America and Britain, the plants are the same, and so is the care.

What more can you ask…. Well, I guess more plants…

Great book….would make a wonderful gift.


For a more complete review of this book and others, please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

[Marija · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book for the house plant lovers. Now, after reading this book, I know why some of my plants look sick or died...Great pictures and illustrations. I enjoyed reading and learning in same time

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guide to growing houseplants is a great resource for anyone who might need a little extra guidance. This book covers lighting, soil, watering needs and so much more for a wide variety of house plants. I would love to have the physical copy of this book! I’m wanting to add more houseplants right now!
Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

[Robert Lambregts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little bit disappointed with this book. I really thought that I could expect more from a book that's coming from a Kew Gardener. But 90% of all plants basically have to be sprayed every day (not true) and need to have a pot that's been placed in a tray with pebbles and water. So in order to keep the plants, you have to turn your livingroom into a pond. All information was extremely basic, some was nottrue and some was just not informative enough. However, it does provide a lot of basics for the different plantgroups that are available and the illustrations and lay-out are beautiful. it's not a bad book to have, especially if you're a beginner, but it could have been executed much better in the end. I did read the Dutch version though, and the translation was horrible. Weird word choices and bad grammar, lots of typo's and there's one point where a sentence just stops in the middle and you know there's at least half a paragraph missing. That's just bad publishing imo. So, in hopes of having found a cool book about plants from a botanical garden like Kew Gardens, this let me down a bit too much.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning book with beautiful illustrations and lots of really great beginner information. I wish there were more plants listed and more photographs.

[Kinga Szűcs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nagyon szeretem a növényeket, de nem vagyok profi a növényápolásban. Vannak olyan növényeim, amik szeretnek és vannak olyanok, amelyek máshol kipusztíthatatlanok, de nálam csak senyvednek, vagy meg sem maradnak. Azért is örültem ennek a könyvnek, hogy majd most ennek segítségével megfejtem mi lehet a gond. Még az eredményt nem tudom felmutatni, de sok mindenben megerősített és néhány dologban kaptam új infókat is.

A szerző szerint az a nyitja annak, hogy a növényeid jól érezzék magukat nálad, hogy meg kell találnod vagy teremtened az eredeti élőhelyének a kondícióit. Ezzel egyet tudok érteni, mert ha egy nővényt véletlenül oda sikerül tennem, ahol jól érzi magát, akkor egyenesben vagyunk, csak kérdés, hogy hogyan találok rá a megfelelő helyre és feltételekre? A Bevezetés erre ad segítséget, ugyanis nyolc típusba sorolja a növényeket, és minden típusnak leírja a jellemzőit és az igényeit. Ez már nagy segítség, de a besoroláson kívül több hasznos általános tippet is találhatunk: talajra, átültetésre, öntözésre, páratartalomra, tápanyagpótlásra vagy tisztításra.

Ami nálam még nagy fejlesztendő terület és még a gondolataimban misztikum övezi az a szaporítás, itt erre is van több példa, lehet kísérletezni. Az általános bevezetés után a könyv nyolcvan százalékát az egyes szobanövények leírása adja, ahol gyönyörű illusztrációkkal díszítve megtudhatjuk a jellemzőiket, olvashatunk a gondozásukról és tippeket is kapunk hozzájuk. A növényleírásokat időnként megszakítja tizenkét projekt, ahol érdekes ötleteket kapunk a növények kreatív elhelyezésére vagy gondozására.

Ez a könyv is többször forgatandó példány, érdemes néha felfrissíteni vele a tudásunkat! Ajánlom a szobanövényekkel kísérletezőknek! :)

[Adrienne Blaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of common house plants and their care. I read it as an e-book and found that reading it backwards was helpful so that I could see the picture of the plant and recognize it before reading about it. Otherwise, I found reading specifics about a plant a little odd without knowing what it was first since I’m a beginner houseplant grower. There are some problematic common names that are used in this book. I understand that many people find common names easier to remember than the Latin names, but some common names are ableist and racist. I appreciate people who are adopting alternate common names or sticking to the Latin (not to say that Latin names can’t be problematic too). Acknowledging these problems and working to make knowledge accessible and plant care inclusive is important.

[Fern A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, like I imagine a large number of people, love the idea of having a house full of plants. Not only do they brighten the place up, clean the air but really add a decorative touch. The issue is where to begin and then there is the even bigger problem of keeping the plants alive. This book is a really helpful read and guide on all things houseplants. From how and when to water, what to do if your away on holiday, to propagation and what plants to get it is all here. Not only is this an immensely helpful read but is also full of beautiful plant photography and drawings which would make it a book worth having even if you have no interest in gardening yourself.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Kew Gardener’s Guide to Growing House Plants is a guide to keeping houseplants healthy and thriving at home. Released 7th March 2019 by Quarto on their White Lion imprint, it's 144 pages and available in ebook and hardcover format.

Whenever gardeners think about inspiration and knowledge on a worldwide scale, the Kew gardens are at the very top of a very short list. They've been going strong for almost 260 years at this point. This book includes an herbal compendium of culture and care info for more than 70 individual houseplants along with several attractive plantings arranged as projects.

Worth noting: this guide is written primarily with gardeners in the British Isles in mind, so some of the common names will be different for readers in other areas of the world. All of the plants in the individual plant listings have their proper genus and species information, so it's not a problem to be sure of a correct ID. The ebook version also has an interactive table of contents which is very handy.

Much of the photography is from stock photos, but all of the project photos are purpose made for this edition. The culture information is straightforward and peppered with good tips and tricks for encouraging the best performance from all of your plants (and getting the best results with difficult or finicky plants).

Four stars. Well written and full of attractive photography.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful book with advice for growing houseplants. It's not a particularly deep dive into the subject, but does follow its own interesting take by focusing on sorting plants into their natural habitats: for instance, if you want ferns, try to recreate a dim, humid forest floor, while succulents do well with baking heat and bright sunshine.

The Kew Gardener’s Guide to Growing House Plants opens with general advice on how to care for any houseplant, covering the expected topics of light, soil (including several recipes for differing compost mixes), water, repotting, propagation, and so on. The majority of the book covers 77 individual houseplant species. Each one gets a small paragraph describing its natural habitat, then information on how and where to grow it indoors. Interspersed with this are several "projects", recommendations on how to group and display multiple plants. The book covers both common houseplants (peace lily, spider plant, philodendron) and more unusual ones (black aeonium, pineapple, moonstone). The biggest selling point of The Kew Gardener’s Guide to Growing House Plants is that every single plant is illustrated, usually with both photographs and Kew Gardens's famous botanical illustrations. It would make a great coffee table book.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I graciously received a digital ARC from White Lion Publishing/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed so much about this book, and would expect nothing less from Kew! What a great mix of advice not only on propagation but on how to design personal space around and for plants.

From succulents and air plants to ferns and other tropical lovelies, the reader gets a whole range of care tips to keep their plant babies healthy and strong.

What I loved most was seeing what I thought to be rare and beautiful plants that I never thought I could grow at home. Read this book and you'll be set with caring for your own incredible botanical wonders!

[Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes. Thank you!

A nice primer on how to grow indoor plants. It contains valuable information on how to grow plants generally and on how to care for specific types of plants. There are also ideas on how to arrange your plants for more beauty. The book might be a bit on the basic side sometimes, but it nevertheless helped me to identify one of my new plants, so kudos for that. Recommended for those in need of a good reference book on plants.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of my most frustrating reference books I’ve ever owned. The index is basically useless. If this was written more recently I would’ve assumed AI was involved. The specific plant profiles are not listed in any particular order. This makes it quite hard to find information on a specific plant.

The paper quality and illustrations are great, though. I’ll probably hold onto this to chop into scrapbooking projects. The DIY projects in the book are unique enough and I did get some fun inspiration.

[Rev · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book at work when I was just beginning my journey with houseplants because it seemed like a good overview, and it was! It also includes a ton of information on the different types of house plants, including some that i had never seen before! It also isn't as expensive as some of the other books I've been reading on different plants, which is a massive bonus.

[Polly Krize · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another of those wonderful Kew Gardener's Guides, this one focuses on houseplants and their versatility and beauty in our homes. Again, practical and useful, this is a great plant guide.

[Rhys Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great beginners book covering everything you need to know. Although general advice is short ~30 pages; the 100 odd pages of individual plants with recommender care instructions is gold and well worth the purchase

[Sylvie M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a gardener's guide book, I was expecting a larger selection of plans.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good basic starter for beginners, I'm a bit disappointed that the ficus and ivy family were completely ignored.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm definitely a beginner, so I thought the illustrations were very helpful. I enjoyed the read.

[kirsty ann jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

informative and great for beginners

Good quick read and free on kindle. Good read and useful for beginners.
One and 3 i want to read from kew gardeners.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very simple and informative for my beginner self. Appreciated the shading/sunlight tips, watering tips/tables for each plants, and the categorizations for air purifiers and decorative etc.

[Holly Garey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the inclusion of carnivorous plants in houseplants, especially some outside of the usual venus fly trap. The information given for each plant was informative, and I liked some of the trivia knowledge about the plants that was included. Some of the pet toxicity warnings were lacking, and I'd advise pet owners to double check before going simply on the advice of this book. Some warning are included, but not everything I know to be non-pet safe, and probably some I don't. The entries on peperomias didn't really include what a varied family it is, and people may miss some truly interesting plants if they don't like the blander selection chosen for the book. I liked the various projects included in the book, especially again the inclusion of a variety of carnivorous plants. This is a good handbook to keep next to your plants, or to browse through to see if you see a new favourite, but the entries are short, and miss out on including more pictures of interesting specimens. This is a good starting point, but more research is probably needed if you choose a plant from here about toxicity or anything beyond basic care.

[Kelly Hodgkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kew Royal Botanic Gardens are world famous and, with large portions of their gardens indoors, there isn’t a better authority to guide a reader on how to get house plants growing. This book is easy-to-follow and easy-to-implement, jampacked with great ideas of how to create green spaces in the home as well as keep them alive. I found the index of plants that clean the air particularly helpful! Several of the plants recommended for the indoors are ones that I would have been hesitant to try but look forward to welcoming in. My only disappointment was it ended too soon, I wish they had carried onto some of the more exotic plants and elaborate executions which they implement merely for interest’s sake.

If you are looking to bring the outside in, I highly recommend you pick up a copy! It’s a four out of five on the en-JOY-ment scale!

[Kelly Hodgkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kew Royal Botanic Gardens are world famous and, with large portions of their gardens indoors, there isn’t a better authority to guide a reader on how to get house plants growing. This book is easy-to-follow and easy-to-implement, jampacked with great ideas of how to create green spaces in the home as well as keep them alive. I found the index of plants that clean the air particularly helpful! Several of the plants recommended for the indoors are ones that I would have been hesitant to try but look forward to welcoming in. My only disappointment was it ended too soon, I wish they had carried onto some of the more exotic plants and elaborate executions which they implement merely for interest’s sake.

If you are looking to bring the outside in, I highly recommend you pick up a copy! It’s a four out of five on the en-JOY-ment scale!

[Lel Budge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very helpful and beautiful House plant identification book from Kew Royal Botanic Gardens.

It has lovely, simply written plant descriptions, where to grow them and how to grow them with some very useful growing tips. Such as watering advice and light requirements.

It also has a mix of photographs and lovely illustrations of each plant.

It’s so pleasant and easy to understand, perfect for any houseplant owner. I know I’ll be referring to this again and again.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

[Leyla Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a massive book, filled with gardening information, photographs and beautiful drawings. This book will keep anyone who want to grow houseplants entertained for a very long time, with lots of information about growing, propagation and details about different plants to grow indoors. There are lots of information about how to grow what indoors. There are also some wonderful ways to display these wonderful plants.
A very interesting and helpful book which one can dip into for information or just to dream.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely comprehensive guide to house plants., from the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew.

This book is packed with information and advice about growing a myriad of different plants in your home, giving you loads of guidance about where to grow each plant, and how to care for them correctly.

I particularly like the way the sections are broken up with projects about how to display some of the plants in attractive and distinctive ways. I will certainly be trying some of these.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

From one of my favorite publishing houses comes this fabulous book on everything to grow house plants.

Even if your thumb isn’t green and you happen to turn everything into dead leaves and hollow stems, this book will help you tackle your house plants like a pro.

Learn which plants are the right ones for your space, how much to water and where to leave them exposed to sun or shade!

Be prepared for a lush looking indoor garden that’s sure to wow you and get you growing more!