Timber Press Pocket Guide To Palms (Timber Press Pocket Guides) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Given their diversity and versatility, it is surprising that palms are underutilized in landscapes and gardens, even in tropical climes. Several reasons account for this, including misconceptions about the plants' growing requirements and unfamiliarity with their ornamental qualities. This pocket guide remedies both problems. It unlocks the keys to successfully growing 200 of the most common and easily obtainable palm species and hybrids, and it highlights botanical characteristics that are of interest to gardeners and landscapers. Each description includes details of trunk, crownshaft, leaf, flower, and fruit to assist in plant identification and selection. The extensive cultivation notes include details of mature tree size, cold hardiness, and light, soil, and water requirements. Suggestions for using the plants indoors and out will help even novice gardeners know where to start, and succinct information on seed germination will assist anyone who wants to grow palms from seed. Illustrated with more than 300 color photographs.
Series: Timber Press Pocket Guides
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Timber Press (February 14, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0881927767
ISBN-13: 978-0881927764
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #303,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #13 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > By Climate > Tropical #106 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Ornamental Plants #173 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Plants > Trees
Palm Trees can be found on every continent except Antarctica - and it isn't because of the cold that they aren't there. "Timber Press Pocket Guide to Palms" is a comprehensive look at this enigmatic tree, so often ignored as simply a decoration for tropical islands when it really is a resilient plant that can grow in extreme temperatures as low as five degrees Fahrenheit. The guide covers everything one would possibly need to know to grow over two hundred of the common palm species. Enhanced with over three hundred color photographs and appendixes, this information packed guide is highly recommended for community library collections on plant life and for anyone who seeks to grow a palm themselves.
Specific to the conditions and facts of each palm, the late Robert Lee Riffle handed us a detailed, quick reference before he left the world stage.I like this book because each palm I look up has the climate zones it can survive in, the growth rate, the color of ripe seed, the germination time and much more bullet head information of the plant.After the vital profile comes the aesthetic overview that only Mr.Riffle could give us...a view of the unique beauty of each palm.Adieu, Robert, and thank you.
We are not botanist but love palms and wanted a comprehensive volume with good pictures and practical tips and information that was easy to read and refer to. This is it.
Which is just what we got this for. Something to take to the nurseries, palm group meetings, and botanical gardens.We purchased the hardbound Craft/Riffle "An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms"(which is fantastic, BTW) but wanted something we could make notes in, etc. This turned out to be the perfect pair of books! We shop at home w/the big book, and out on the road w/the soft cover.
The introduction provides a brief presentation on "Palm Structure, Palm Habitat, Palms in the Landscape, Pruning, Aesthetic Concerns, Human Safety, and Health of the Palm". These sections are brief but the information is good and a pleasure to read. The intro is followed by several pages listing palms in various categories such as water preference, growth rate, soil type, size, salt tolerance, and climate range (all by Latin names). This is a handy section for selecting a palm to read more about later in the book. The heart of the book is an A to Z (by Latin name) encyclopedia style presentation of palms. Each entry includes common names and a general description of size (height, width, trunk, crownshaft, and leaves), fruit, growth rate, climate, sun exposure, water needs, soil preference, indoor use, and seed germination. The entries are somewhat brief but pack in a lot of information. There are 1 to 3 pictures of each palm. The book is physically not large (it is a nice size), but the pictures are good. It is a great book for a novice like myself who is seeking to plant a few "wisely" selected species of palm tree. Organization by Latin name is not a problem, the index includes both Latin and common names. Add Betrock's "Essential Guide to Palms" for a great complimentary reference. One negative: the hardiness zone map at the end of the book is poor.
i was hoping for a more user friendly type book for identifying palm trees. this book is rather on the formal, dry side. the palms are id'd in their latin names making it difficult to find palms by their common name. the pictures are good but not great. i have a lot of different palms in my new garden and wanted help in identifying them. this just didn't do it for me.
If you are looking for a good book on palm trees with a general coverage of the subject, this is the book to get. The author was a recognized authority on palms, but he passed away in 2006, and when this book goes out of print, it may become very difficult to find. The descriptions of palms are a little skimpy so you may not be able to use the book to determine what kind of a palm you have, but the book does an outstanding job of providing you the basic information you need to grow and care for the palms listed within (about 200 species). This is an excellent first book for someone that wants to grow their expertise on palms.
Again another book purchase for my Alzheimer-y Mom. This is a small book but contains lots of pictures which was one of my priorities. Mom hardly reads anymore but can be kept busy flipping pages looking at pictures. I will use this book for landscaping purposes. My only complaint is we already own a Canary Island Palm. There was nothing about Canary Island palm seeds. I had to research on the internet to find out you need both a male and female near each other to get the seed production. Also I hate throwing out those fronds. I wish the book had included suggestions for frond use like weaving.........
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