It's time for plant lovers to dust off their houseplants, update their image, and discover just how exciting, trendy, and crucial plants can be in the home. The Unexpected Houseplant, by renowned plant authority Tovah Martin, isn't your typical, old-fashioned, dowdy houseplant book. Martin's approach is revolutionary—picture brilliant spring bulbs by the bed, lush perennials brought in from the garden, quirky succulents in the kitchen, even flowering vines and small trees growing beside an easy chair. Martin brings an evangelist's zeal to the task of convincing homeowners that indoor plants aren't just a luxury—they're a necessity. In addition to design flair, houseplants clean indoor air, which can be up to ten times more polluted. Along with loads of visual inspiration, readers will learn how to make unusual selections, where to best position plants in the home, and valuable tips on watering, feeding, grooming, pruning, and troubleshooting, season by season.

Comprehensive, up-to-the-minute, and gorgeously photographed, The Unexpected Houseplant is for beginners, green thumbs, decorators, and anyone who wants to infuse a bit of surprising green into their décor.

“Tovah Martin has weeded through the world of indoor plants to find over 200 options tough enough for anyone to grow.”—The American Gardener Brown thumb? No problem. The Indestructible Houseplant is packed with indoor plants that are tough, beautiful, reliable, and virtually impossible to kill. In addition to plant profiles with concise information on water, light, and blooming times, this gorgeous book includes tips on care, maintenance, and ideas for combining houseplants in eye-catching indoor displays. Follow Martin’s sage advice and you’ll have a thriving urban jungle in no time.

A follow-up to the widely popular Flower Recipe Book, The Plant Recipe Book is the next great thing in interior plant design, providing simple steps showing anyone how to create stunning living plant decor. Each one of the 100 “recipes” specifies the type and quantity of plants needed; clearly numbered instructions detail each step; and 400 photographs show how to place every stem. Traditional pots and plant containers are used, but so are less conventional vehicles and methods, like shutters and planting under glass. A basic how-to chapter provides planting techniques, a tools and materials list, sourcing and plant care information, and expert advice.

We have grown so accustomed to sharing our houses with plants that it may be surprising to learn that it was only in the last century that plants began to move indoors. The story of how this came to pass is an engrossing and complex one, involving many separate strands: the horticultural explosion of the Victorian period, stimulated by the plant hunters of the golden age, changing styles of architecture, new techniques of heating and lighting, the cultural values implicit in home design and decoration, and the changing role of women. It is a story equally rich in plant lore and insights into American culture. Once Upon a Windowsill is one of those books that manage, through a perceptive examination of a seemingly “odd” topic, to shed surprising light on a much larger subject. This is an important and fascinating work of social history. This book is only available through print on demand. All interior art is black and white.

"A guide to selecting and growing plants for your home, including a plant profile quiz"--

The complete guide to “greening” your space, with ideas and inspiration for adding plants to every room in your home, plus a directory of versatile, easy-to-care-for specimens.