Product Description

With their bold foliage, exuberant colors, and luscious scents, exotic plants ignite curiosity and thrill the senses. Fortunately for gardeners in the world's temperate regions, it's not necessary to live in the tropics to experience spiky agaves and brilliant cannas. With some 1500 species and cultivars described, the Encyclopedia of Exotic Plants for Temperate Climates covers many plant groups, including aroids, bananas, gingers, bromeliads, cacti, yuccas, ferns, and palms. Detailed cultivation advice enables gardeners of all levels to make informed choices from an expansive plant palette. Over 500 color photos enhance this inspirational and authoritative resource.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59031 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 440 pages

About the Author
Will Giles draws upon a lifelong passion for exotic plants. Originally trained as an artist, he was working as an illustrator for botanical books and magazines when a series of travels in the 1980s reignited his desire to cultivate his own exotics. He returned home to England's east coast determined to grow a vast range of exotic plants in his own back yard, and despite his home country's decidedly temperate conditions, his Exotic Garden in Norfolk has become a mecca for gardening enthusiasts. He has appeared on a wide range of British TV programs and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Norfolk, BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, and Garden Answers. Will Giles has led plant tours in Caribbean, Japan, and Portugal's Madeira Island, and currently serves as vice president of Norwich in Bloom. He is the author of The New Exotic Garden (Mitchell Beazley 2000).

Customer Reviews

the best book on exotic plants
At long last the world of exotic/architectural plants has a bible - and this is it. Will Giles's latest book covers a large cross section of plants, including trees, shrubs, herbacous plants and an entertaining section entitled "houseplants outdoors". Giles also includes plants which are valuable for their asthetic qualities but are far from exotic - some even native to the UK. Each plant has a fairly detailed entry detailing growing procedure and preferred climatic conditions, most also having a photograph. The author grows many of these plants in his own garden, so there's a great deal of first hand experience in the text. To round it off there's also a useful listing of suppliers and websites.

Informative and beautiful
Really delighted with my copy. Clear straight forward horticultual advice on growing. Botanical names for identification. Beautiful photos that make it a good pick up and dip into. Great to clear away the winter blues as you dream of what exotics it is now possible to grow. Just fantastic for real and armchair gardeners alike.

The Perfect Bible For Exotics !!
Being new to exotic gardening, this book has been invaluable to me.
I saw the author recently on a Channel 5 programme and he is extremley knowledgable on this subject and that shines through in this book.
One thing i think that slightly lets it down is the lack of growing advice for the UK, other than that, it is a superb book to add to my collection and ive lost count of how many times ive had to go to the book to look a plant up.
If you are a beginner (like myself) or an experienced exotic gardener, then this book is well worth the price tag.