As featured in 'Book Reviews'

Gardens Illustrated

Having gardened most of my life, this book is primarily for starting gardeners, but I found it helpful in refreshing myself on soil and types for various plants, as well as wintering over many flowering plants and propagation techniques. Well done!

NetGalley, Polly Krize

I think you probably can have too many books on houseplants, but when I get to that stage I will let you know. I wanted to review this book as house plants are something I continue to be obsessed with. I have not paid for this book nor have I been paid to write this review; my words and opinions remain my own.

I love the style of this book, even before starting to read it I was flipping through the pages loving the clear layout and the excellent photography. I did settle down to actually read it properly which is of course the sensible thing to do.

Sarah talks us through how to start a plant collection, which is a really useful introduction to growing plants indoors as Sarah goes through the needs of light and watering and the challenges of modern homes such as central heating. Sarah then goes on to talk about terrariums: closed and open ones. Sarah tells us about common indoor plant problems of which I can own up to several: I have killed many plants with kindness, or over-watering as it is often called. Sarah made me smile where she talks about the problem of too many people caring for plants. Sarah describes an office situation where the whole team were watering the plants so they had too much water, then they all stopped watering them so the plants had too little water and then finally an agreement about who would do what. I recognise that scenario well.

Very usefully for me there is a section on Tillandsias, or 'air plants', I have recently bought a couple. I bought one for my daughter and was looking after it until I could give it to her. This meant I fell in love with it and had to buy another for myself. They are a plant I knew nothing about so any help with keeping them alive is much needed.

Sarah even talks us through how to propagate our houseplants, always a useful thing to do.

I really liked this book, it is set out clearly and Sarah writes knowledgeably in a way that is easy to understand. A definite useful additional to your houseplant book collection or a great gift.

Read the full review here

Blackberry Garden

With gardening in the ascendancy because of the pandemic, this is a practical and priceless look at how to install plants and flowers within the home - primarily for people living in flats or simply without access to gardening space. A superb book.

Books Monthly

I have had a terrarium I inherited for several years, which is filled with old dry flowers and a little fabric scarecrow. After reading this book I intend to give it a revamp and to make more of its lovely colourful stained glass. I also now understand that it will be an open terrarium and thus need watering from time to time unlike a closed version.

I am particularly drawn to the succulent plants described by the author and now feel more confident to choose and plant these successfully. I am looking forward to replanting my inherited container and may even be tempted to buy a closed terrarium to experiment with too.

Lovely photography and clear, concise instructions.

5 stars

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Amazon Customer, Jayne

A lovely book that showcases the best ways to have an indoor garden. Lots of great suggestions and different plants.

NetGalley, Allison Jungert

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A comprehensive look at low maintenance plants and how to maintain and look after them. Perfect for those who love plants but don't have green fingers.

NetGalley, Dannielle Fletcher

I really like that the title is so straightforward that I already know what to expect. I think that this book is a great primer for beginner plant owners. There is a lot that goes into owning and maintaining plants. Showing up to the garden department and buying whatever looks nice may not be the best way to start plant ownership. Books like these help guide the plant ownership process. It's accessible for beginners.

NetGalley, A Home Library

I know basically nothing about gardening. I have a plant that I assume is Devil's Ivy that is taking over my kitchen, and thankfully not even my worst neglect has killed it. I kind of chose this book because I'd like to have more plants, but wanted some tips on how to properly take care of them. I was happy to see that this was seemingly made for me, as it details how to care for plants that don't need much attention. Things like enclosed terrariums, cacti, air plants, and even succulents. Perhaps, the next time I go to a garden center I will keep some tips in mind!

NetGalley, Stephen Kelley

Awesome work! I start my indoor garden a little time ago, and the first plants die, slowly and painfully, so I decided to investigated a little bit before try again. I read this book and 6 weeks later, the plants are alive, so ...I guess this work! Something I thinks will be helpful is having it at hand, that way if something weird appears, this will help.

NetGalley, Diana Alvarez

Good beginner book about houseplants. Includes full color photos and details on some of the most popular types of indoor plants, including a bit about succulents and cacti and air plants. Also has sections on creating open or closed terrariums and kokedama. My favorite sections were those about what might be wrong with a plant and what plants will work best in what rooms. The book contains enough information for someone to be able to find some plants that will brighten and thrive in their home, while also limiting so as not to be overwhelming.

NetGalley, Amanda Donovan

Great topics. Very informative. I learned a ton on how to care for my new found love of plants in my home. I would recommend this for any beginner.

NetGalley, Jessica Mousseau

This would make a nice gift for someone who wants to start keeping houseplants or to introduce a hobby to someone because greeneries make such a wonderful difference to a home both aesthetically and emotionally. During the lockdowns, besides baking, everyone seems to be gardening (if they are lucky to have a garden) and/or keeping indoor plants.

There is just enough information to start off with, including the type of plants most likely to survive!

Beautiful photographs abound.

NetGalley, Flora Fung

This is such an aesthetically pleasing novice guide to houseplants!

I already have some plants and succulents (not enough, never enough), but I still love this guide! It covers all the basics: the easiest plants to own, which plants should go where, and how to avoid common issues.
There is also a lovely step-by-step guide for making your own terrariums, hanging plant display, or Kokedama!

I think this book would make a lovely gift.

NetGalley, Jenny Lodge

The following chapters contain instructions for terraria (open and closed) and include a fair selection of plants which are suited to both. There's a chapter devoted to cacti and succulents (my favourites), troubleshooting problems and how to avoid many of them, hanging plants (with suggestions for culture and display), kokedama, air plants (tillandsia), propagation, siting your plants, plants and our well being, and improving air quality with plants.

Four stars. There are beautiful photographs on nearly every page. The typeset is good contrast and easy to read. This would be a superlative acquisition for school or public library, for gifting, or for a beginning indoor gardener (especially people who claim they can't succeed with indoor plants).

NetGalley, Annie Buchanan

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a good guide to houseplants for beginners with clear photos of the suggested plants. It’s comprehensive, including the conditions needed for each plant described, common problems, as well as ideas for indoor gardens, such as open and closed terrariums. I enjoyed reading it.

NetGalley, Tina Milledge

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I've always thought I was just "one of those people" who couldn't possibly keep a small plant alive for more than a few weeks, and that I was just condemned to never getting to enjoy what all those instagrammers seem to have - a bunch of luxurious plants hanging on their shelves and thriving everywhere in their apartment, seemingly effortlessly. This books is here to teach me otherwise - and it does the job well ! It's accessible, easy to read, beautifully illustrated, and the examples are useful and directly applicable to your own living situation. I would definitely recommend this, if not for you, then as a gift for a friend who'd be interested in keeping some cool looking plants alive !

NetGalley, Maude Bousquet

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The book is stunning, the photos, and how to make and designs your own Terrarium, this is a great reference book and information for your plants, easy to look at, and very clear instructions, and it tells you so much information, and everything you need to know, all the plant conditions, and the watering, etc and then other references about other indoor pants, like the jade plant, aloes, cactus, and many more, great book if you are interested in plants, I would highly recommend.

NetGalley, Holly Briers

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

What a fantastic collection of tips and tricks for creating an indoor garden! I love the captivating visuals and the very straight forward advice! I can't wait for it to get published so that I can buy it and have a copy of this very useful book on my shelf. Highly recommended!

NetGalley, Stephie Amico

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Everything about this book is bright and cheery, especially the photographs! It's so aesthetically pleasing and sweet and written with an encouraging tone. You just know the author's personality is as charming with Succulence as the delectable name of her plant shop. Though a master gardener, this book has inspired me anew and I am going to begin with a few terrariums. Plants and planting can seem daunting but really no more difficult than any other hobby and so very gratifying.

The author details the benefits of indoor gardens (there are many!) with information on temperature, light needs, equipment, "ingredients", propagating, planting and maintenance. There are plants which only require monthly watering. There is an extraordinary variety of plants in the book (just look at the delightful containers!) including echeveria succulents, zebra cactus, bunny ear cactus, powder puff cactus, ferns, string of pearls, string of hearts, prayer plant (I really need to find this one) and air plant ideas. In case you encounter problems there is trouble shooting, such as what happens if you water too little or too much. I particularly enjoy the "which plant for which room?" chapter. The copper watering can, though!

Growing houseplants does not take a so-called green thumb. You can do it with zero experience. This book is wonderful for those starting out but will inspire experts alike. Anyone with an inkling of interest please do start with this. I learned a lot!

NetGalley, Brenda Carleton

It was a nice short read. And the homemaker in me took extensive notes and will be adding more indoor plants in the house CONFIDENTLY.

NetGalley, Advanced Torres

A quick and easy read with tons of tips and tricks for the beginner indoor gardener. A great addition to any new home.

NetGalley, Tanya Erdos

Anyone who finds it hard to keep a plant alive could use this book! I made a list of houseplants I’d love to try following the examples in this book! I’d recommend for that purpose!

NetGalley, Johanna Sawyer

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

As a pretty new plant mom this book helped me figure out the best ways to care for my plants and so helped me fix some mistakes I've been making. After reading through this I have also discovered some plants that I would love to add to my collection soon. This is a great resource for anyone new to caring for houseplants.

NetGalley, Carmen Malcolm

Make Your Own Indoor Garden: How to Fill Your Home with Low Maintenance Greenery by Sarah Durber is a great resource for indoor gardening.

The author provides so much incredible information, like how to make your own terrarium, how to make a kokedama, how to propagate your plants, as well as the well-being of your plants. My favorite chapter was on how to combat air pollution using plants in your home.

There is a lot of great information packed into this book! I definitely recommend reading this is you are looking to add plants to your home!

NetGalley, Nikki Raymond

This is a helpful guidebook for the beginner indoor plant enthusiast! When my plant collection first began to grow, I was excited about all the varieties and options, but had no idea what would really grow well in the different rooms in my house. To make things worse, I live in a partial forest, so I often overestimated the amount of light my plants would receive during the day. If I had access to this helpful book, I may have avoided some of the beginner mistakes I made, like collecting succulents that had no hope of growing well in the limited sunlight.

Throughout the book, Durber introduces her readers to the many different kinds of indoor plants with detailed instructions for their care. She also includes a how-to for building terrariums--something I haven't attempted yet, but find fascinating and would like to try in the future. One thing I especially appreciated was that she wove plant introductions throughout the book, so she would talk about an aspect of plant care (like propagation) and then mention any particular plants that worked well with the concept she was explaining. This way of organizing the book kept the book from feeling like a plant dictionary. It's important to note that experienced plant caretakers may find this book more suited for the beginner caretakers. It's not exhaustive, and she doesn't touch on many of the more exotic plants.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and it was a good refresher on plant care, and would be a great reference book for anyone who is just beginning their plant journey.

NetGalley, Mary Beers

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I found this book to be so helpful! Homesteading and becoming more self sustaining is a big interest of mine so I'll take what I learned from this book and it'll go a long way!

NetGalley, Alicia Goeser