Landscaping With Tropical Plants (Sunset Series) (ISBN 0376034572)

Great buy for the Tropical Gardener:
If you're like me, you prefer beautiful tropical landscape images over reading text about gardens. This book does an excellent job of that, particularly for the price. I regularly purchase books on tropical gardening, and what I don't want is another listing of plants, I can get that from the mail order catalogues. I like to see images of tropical environments that I can consider recreating, or views that show good tropical garden designs of actual plants (not drawn images). For the money, this book is well worth it.

For the Home garden, very basic:
If you are intending to get professional advicing on using Tropical plants avoid this book, however if you are planning your own home garden it is a very didactic and fun to read book.

Inspirational:
I found this book to be well organized, inspirational and informative with beautiful pictures of landscapes and common tropical plants. The book also gives tips on planting in general.

How to Create a Tropical Look in the Temperate Zone Garden:
Aimed at the temperate climate gardener with a yen for the tropical look, this book provides basic instructions and suggested plant selections. To maximize the chances of success, seasonal guidelines are suggested, along with ways of creating tropical gardens inside, and in sheltered spaces. Typical of the Sunset books, there are ample attractive photographs. The added bonus for the garden planner is the number of effective combinations shown, and an array of landscape ideas as well. Special care and treatment of these plants in cold climates is discussed. Includes a list of garden zones with maps, and an index. For further information on a number of these plants, see: Ornamental Plants & Flowers of Tropical Mexico.

A surprise.:
I recently bought 3 hort books from Amazon, this one is used daily. It's the best if you are looking for straight planning ideas and great colour & the price is right. :) I can't wait for Sunset's new edition of Western Gardens due out in Feb 07, & any new book by Monica Moran Brandies. Buy it, you won't be disappointed, along with Tropical Plants for Home and Garden by William Warren.