We have some great gardening books to recommend to you. These books are loved, a little dog-eared and indispensable reference material. With all the gardening literature that is available, it can be tough deciding which ones really give you more bang for your buck. These are our favorites. We hope they will become your favorites too. The suggested retail prices are listed, but they can be purchased for less at Amazon.com.

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Clivias

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Clivias - by Harold Koopowitz

So, you've decided to grow Clivas. These fascinating, shade lovers are not only some of the world's most exotic plants, they are also expensive! If you intend pouring monetary fire power into Clivia collecting, you need a long term plan, a feel for the Clivia community and detailed information about Clivia culture. This book covers the history of Clivia cultivation from their discovery to present day cultivation and hybridization. There is up to date information about the Clivia market including new Clivia cultivars being developed in Asia. It is profusely illustrated with Clivia's past and present. The photographs are many and depict Clivias from the easily attainable to those so rare and beautiful, mere mortals can only aspire to ownership of them. Chapters on cultivation are clearly explained, and there are photographs of leaf patterns so lovely, they outshine the flowers. A must have for anyone looking to invest time, brain power and plenty of bucks pursuing and growing a plant that is entirely worth all that effort.

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Brugmansias

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Brugmansia and Datura: Angel's Trumpets and Thorn Apples - by Ulrike and Hans-Georg Preissel

Not too many years ago, Brugmansias were difficult to obtain and a well kept secret by the few individuals who set about collecting and hybridizing these extraordinary blooming trees from South and Central America. Their history of medicinal use among native peoples is long standing, so Brugmansia and Datura are not newly discovered plants. Their distribution both in Europe and the West is something new when one considers their prehistoric beginning. This book provides information about their origin and their journey from their natural habitat to your backyard. Propagation and hybridization are discussed, but most important is the section on Brugmansia disease. The plants have moved so quickly from their points of origin worldwide that they have fallen prey to diseases that are difficult to diagnose, treat and cure. With so much plant material changing hands, it is important to know your plant's source. A single diseased plant can wipe out a collection, so special precautions should be observed as collectors propagate and breed. Dr. Hans-Georg Preissel is head of the famed Herrenhauser Gardens, home to many of the deep colored, double and triple Brugmansia blooms we enjoy today. Illustrated with photos of flowers, leaves, seed pods, seeds and various diseases.

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Bulbs

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Hippeastrum: The Gardener's Amaryllis - by Veronica M. Read

Our Amaryllis Bible. This comprehensive edition is essential for the Amaryllis collector. Chapters cover species bulbs, hybrids, cybisters, propagation, bulb anatomy, pests and diseases, commercial breeding and production. Along with detailed, color photos of the different varieties, there are step by step instructions and photographs relating to propagation techniques and the various stages of seed production. Bulb selection hints and potting medium suggestions are also offered. The chapter outlining characteristics of various diseases and their treatment is extensive. The book is published in association with The Royal Horticultural Society.

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Bulbs For Warm Climates - by Thad M. Howard

Many of us who live in the South and enjoy collecting bulbs have the advantage of leaving our bulbs in ground for naturalizing. Chief among these is the Amaryllis. There are, however, many bulbs that we simply cannot grow here. Our extra hot Summers, humidity, mild Winters and sometimes excessive rainfall make it impossible to grow bulbs that require dormancy and a less moist environment. Just what kinds of bulbs will thrive here? Once you eliminate the Tulips, Daffodils, Snowdrops, etc., what kinds of bulbous plants can you plant?
Thad Howard climbed over hill and dale from the Mid-Atlantic states to the far reaches of Brazil and Argentina investigating and discovering plants native to warm climates. Hundreds of bulb species, from Agavaceae to Crinum to Zingiberaceae are accompanied by color photos, detailed descriptions of growth habits, fragrance and environmental requirements. He includes suggestions for creating natural landscape groupings and uses for these bulbs in the warm climate environment. He also suggests where one may find bulb societies and many of the bulbs discussed in the book. Bulb diseases and a dandy section on making potpourri with bulb flowers are also offered. If you love bulbs, live in the South or any place where snowy Winters are absent, this book is an excellent resource.

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Garden Bulbs for the South - by Scott Ogden

Here's another great resource for warm climate bulb lovers. Scott Ogden is also a world traveler whose detective work has resulted in this lovely and comprehensive volume about warm weather bulbs. Interestingly, many the bulbs found in old Southern gardens found their way to those gardens from places far distant. The origins of southern bulbs are far flung, and investigation of their native environments offer clues as to why they've survived so far from them.
There are also chapters on designing gardens with these bulbs, cultivation, reproduction, diseases and histories of their migrations to our gardens. Many color photographs depict how lovely these species are. Nurseries where many of the bulbs may be found are included. This is definitely a must have resource for those of us who love bulbs that thrive and naturalize in the South.

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Passiflora

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Passion Flowers - by John Vanderplank

Collecting Passion Flowers can become, well...a passion! With their lovely flowers, heady fragrance and inherent love of romping up trellises, trees and across hills, Passifloras exhibit an enviable abandon that appeals to just about everyone. One plant is never enough! Until recently, accessibility of the many species-type plants was only afforded to plant societies, universities and botanists able to travel where Passifloras cloister themselves. With the advent of the Internet and the ability to interact with collectors worldwide, more species Passiflora have become available to the hobbyist gardener. But, how to tell them apart? What are their individual needs? Cool weather? Cool and moist? Warm and humid?
John Vanderplank's book answers those questions and more. Hundreds of color photos (over 120 species) with accompanying text describe in detail: plant history, native habitat, environmental requirements, overall care regarding pruning and training, grafting, soil requirements, pollinating and so much more. The photos are accompanied by detailed pen and ink drawings and diagrams too. A must have reference guide for the Passiflora collector.

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Passiflora: Passionflowers of the World - by Torsten Ulmer and John MacDougal

The mother lode. Foremost experts in the field, Ulmer and MacDougal present over 207 species Passiflora and 32 hybrids in luscious color with accompanying text describing, in detail, ALL anyone could possibly require for referencing this lovely plant. Passiflora history, cultivation, taxonomy, reproduction are described in detail and divided into class, subspecies, many categories.
This book is more extensive a study than the Vanderplank book, but the two of them should be in every collector's library. Plant resources, including Internet web sites are included. The Ulmers also have a web site. It is a slice of Passiflora heaven, a place to roam and dream of the enormous possibilities the hobbyist may indulge when attempting creation of new cultivars.

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Tropical Plants

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Tropical Flowering Plants: A guide to Identification and Cultivation - by Kirsten Albrecht Llamas

Lordy, lordy... so many plants; so little time. Tropical plant lovers will be bowled over by the sheer numbers of tropical plants presented in this volume. There are more than 1400 different varieties of plants discussed. The accompanying photos are many and in color. It is difficult to imagine there are so many flowering trees, shrubs, vines and herbaceous plants existing in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Perusal of this volume is more than enough assurance that you may spend years constructing your tropical garden without fear of redundancy. Detailed information about growth habits, soil and light requirements, reproduction, taxonomy - all are included. This is a comprehensive presentation in dictionary form . Be prepared to find a quiet spot and a good chunk of free time when it arrives from the bookseller. Once begun, you will not want to stop until you've seen and read everything. An essential volume for the collector of tropical and sub-tropical plants.

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Plant Propagation

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Making More Plants: The Science, Art and Joy of Propagation - by Ken Druse

Making More Plants is a great resource about propagating just about every plant you can imagine. From spores, to seed, to soft wood and hard wood cuttings, sexual and asexual propagation, all are discussed and depicted via word and beautiful photos. Chapters include: sowing seed, vegetative reproduction, cuttings, reproduction through leaf cuttings, layering, grafting, tissue culture and division. There are hundreds of photos. End chapters include a propagation guide for various species, common name cross-reference, plant resources and a handy glossary. A comprehensive and indispensable guide...good reading for a rainy day!

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Plants From Test Tubes: An introduction To Micropropagation - by Lydiane Kyte and John Kleyn

If you're a gardening nut worth your salt, making cuttings and sowing seed doesn't satisfy your scientific and plant reproduction bone hunger. You want more. You have time. Let's do tissue culture! Micropropagation reproduces plants via tiny pieces of plant material immersed in high nutrition chemical solutions. The idea is reproduction of plants that are exact duplicates of their donors. Cloning. One of the best features of using this technique is that you don't need a lab the size of anything at M.I.T., nor do you need exotic lab equipment. An old fish tank, some baby food jars and chemicals easily found on-line is enough to get you started. Once a successful explant is created, you can reproduce thousands of cloned duplicates from that single success. The procedure is ideal for growers who want to produce multitudes of plants with similar characteristics, but it is also a way to reproduce rare or endangered plants.
The book is divided into two sections: The Basics of Tissue Culture and a Culture guide to selected plants. The latter includes chemical recipes proven to produce various plant species - no trial and error required. This is a fascinating way for serious gardener's to extend their range of plant knowledge and save a rare species or two. Although printed in 1983, all of the information presented is still relevant and is a primer for those wishing to begin work at this delightful and interesting method for plant reproduction.

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