The Kew Gardener’s Guide to Growing House Plants

Excellent book on the purchase, care, and keeping of the wonderful world of houseplants. The complications that can ensue by buying the wrong plant, wrong soil, etc. is broken down into easily digested segments. Whether new or experienced with plants, there’s something to be gleaned from the information that will have you returning to it as a guide often.

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

This book was not available for request on NetGalley, so I added it to my wishlist and magically, it was granted! I received a digital edition of this book in exchange for an honest read and review. I love reading about plants and gardening; a few of my other books I have reviewed here and for NetGalley have been based on similar topics. I love plants; my house is covered in plants. I have so many bottles sitting everywhere–even in my bathroom– that have plant cuttings in them. Not to brag, but I do have a green thumb and part of that means I enjoy reading about ways to grow things and help what I already have, thrive.

Firstly, this book is gorgeous! Every photo included is beautiful and it makes me just want more and more plants. I love books that include a healthy dose of photographs that both illustrate the points given in the text, but also just make things look good. I love just flipping through these sorts of books to get ideas about what types of plants I like and would like to procure, but also different ways to display and group plants.

Second, this book includes an easy-to-follow section about propagation and goes through several different ways to make new plant babies from older ones! I have tried several times in the past to get some straight answers about how to grow new plants from the internet and usually always end up getting confused or just losing interest and energy because there are so many different ideas and ways of doing things. I like that this book offers a fairly concise section on the subject and doesn’t get weighed down by terminology. It even gives lists of plants that do well for each type of propagation; something that I have needed for a while!

And third, this book also goes over specific plant types. Usually, they are more well-known and easy to find plants versus exotic ones that require money and time. I really appreciate this because nothing is more discouraging than finding a lovely plant and then trying to find it only to learn that it isn’t available in your area. Sort of on the same lines, this book also categorizes plants into 6 different types. I have never thought of this before and it makes so much sense to me now.

Overall, I loved reading this book and stopping at specific plants that I have or grow now. I actually needed to consult this book for a couple of problems I was having with a few of my plants. This book also has a little tip or trivia fact for each plant and I loved that. I am easily giving this one four stars, mainly because of the ending and how abrupt it felt. I would have liked a little conclusion or just a page to tie everything up at the end. Otherwise, I loved it!

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

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.

A very good on the care and maintenance of houseplants. It's well written, full of information and advice.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

This book has a lot of great information about not only how to grow house plants but what each type of house plant needs. It breaks everything down plant by plant and has pictures. I love it, so helpful!!

A very good reference book for plant lovers who don't seem to have a green thumb. Find your favorite plant before you start and you are guaranteed good results from the people who know best. Easy to follow and love the examples.

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.

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.

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!

I read this book all afternoon, took notes and have been thoroughly delighted to be able to read it via NetGalley. What a delight! I love the descriptions and easy to understand advice for planting and growing, and the beautiful sketches are exquisite.
Just a thoroughly lovely book that I will likely buy in hard copy.
Thank you.

As a novice with a track record of not having greenfingers this was an ideal book to read. It is clearly written, beautiful photos to inspire and gives an insight to what you need to know to keep houseplants happy.

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

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.

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.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2790033820

Absolutely stunning illustrations in this for all sorts of different kinds of houseplants! Lots of good info and would be a good addition to any houseplant enthusiasts shelf..

Just a Few Words:  I don't review many "instructional" books, but what can I say...I'm a plant lover :)   Let us begin...

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.

Home gardeners from novice to expert will appreciate this concise volume of advice for growing and nurturing houseplants. Includes general instructions and specific details for different types of plants, from succulents to ferns and more. Lots of color photographs and illustrations.

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.

A beautifully crafted book with easy-to-follow instructions to creating one's own garden of house plants. There's a good mix of photographs that provide a lovely visual to explanations. It also provides lots of inspiration on how to organize and display your plants.

It provides detailed advice and explanation to things like propagation and care. As an aspiring gardener I found the information and tips very useful. It even tells you which types of propagation are most effective for which plants. Not only that, it provides in-depth analysis on each plant and which ones are suitable to given conditions. I learned so much about plant care and creating optimal environments for certain plants.

The book was a joy to read. With the mix of lovely aesthetics to useful tips and tricks, The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing House Plants introduces newcomers to the world of growing plants.

Excellent recource, highly recommended for home gardeners. I will be buying my own physical copy for reference.

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!

An interesting light read for anyone looking to build up knowledge around common houseplants. A nice reference book to have around the house when your plants are looking a little worse for wear!

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.

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.

I liked this one as far as gardening books go... it was informational, had images, and the voice was not snobby or intimidating.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.