JillFlorio

This fabulous book, written by Dr. D. G. Hessayon, should the first choice for anyone - expert or novice - looking to get a handle on their houseplant needs. Hessayon manages to create a comprehensive text to indoor gardening without churning out a heavy, massive or plodding tome. In other words, this book is great for beginners.The Houseplant Expert features profiles wisely broken into sections on Foliage Houseplants, Flowering Houseplants, Flowering Pot Plants and Cacti. I’ve always been annoyed with other plant guides that mix petunias with peperomias, and crocus with coleus. Hessayon avoids this grab-bag approach, sorting profiles so they make sense.

While Chapter Four’s houseplant profiles make up the bulk of the book, early chapters discuss just enough of the basics to encourage confidence in novice houseplant owners. Mini-chapters describe how to pick a good plant, potting info, window exposures, tips on home display, how to create a garden room, or make a terrarium.

The Plant Trouble Chapter at the end of the book presents the best diagnostic chart I’ve seen in a plant guide. Want to know the difference between scale insect and spider mites? It’s easy to decipher on page 224. While treatment information is sparse, it’s enough to get the reader started.

Overall, the Houseplant Expert’s tone is non-threatening and personable. In this era of high-usability expectations, Hessayon succeeds with a layout that even websites should adopt, in terms of navigation and content. The pictures and sketches look like the plants they are featuring. Care descriptions are right where they should be, under the reliable “Secrets of Success” subheading. Nice details, like the interspersed info on Bonsai Style, Food Houseplants and Forest Cacti, add enough spice without distraction from the main text.