Tropical Flowering Plants A Guide to Identification and Cultivation Kirsten Albrecht Llamas From Booklist Tropical plant enthusiasts who... care for rare specimens will embrace Llamas' up-to-date guide to a wealth of species that should flourish in USDA zone 9 or do equally well if nurtured indoors and brought outside in summer. Arranged according to botanical families, plant listings open up a wondrous world of evergreen shrubs, bulbous herbs, epiphytic vines, and clustering palm trees. Scientific names are linked to common ones for clarity, while descriptions contain insightful details regarding plant origins, habitats, and cultivation requirements. The straightforward yet engaging writing style, along with a profusion of telling photographs depicting leaf shapes, showy flowers, and tree forms, will help in identification as well as in selecting plants to grow, whether one gardens in a greenhouse, on a windowsill, or outdoors in a sun-drenched climate. Alice Joyce

Enchanted Ground: Gardening with Nature in the Subtropics Georgia Tasker Author, Georgia Tasker, has been the garden writer for The Miami Herald for 20 years. In this reprinted book she addresses gardening as it relates to that unique environment.

Bromeliads for the Contemporary Garden Andrew Steens   From Booklist In his introduction, Steens describes the bromeliad family (nearly 3,000 species contained in 56 genera) and provides a plant family history. His focus is on plants that grow well in most gardens and those most commonly available. The book includes descriptions and cultivation information for 200 species and cultivars in 28 genera. Steens offers instructions on landscaping with bromeliads in a variety of gardens, including hothouses and pots, and on propagation. A chapter on cultivation contains advice on light, temperature, climate zones, planting, watering, feeding, flowering, soil types and potting mixes, pests, diseases, and disorders. Add to this 300 stunning color photographs of these beautiful plants.