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books
Most people familiar with the Internet have heard of Powells.com, Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble, simply the world's
biggest bookshops. We have come to an agreement with the nice people there to supply and dispatch our books, which
they do with ruthless efficiency, within a couple of days, to all destinations in the world. In this way, we can greatly
increase the list of titles we offer, as well as sell them at prices quite a bit lower than we otherwise would be
able to. We review the books personally and give you a frank and honest opinion, so you can order with confidence,
pay the lowest price, and anticipate delivery within a few days. What a great service!
Ordering books on our website is easy:
Hit the buttons next to each book to get more information and to put the book into your shopping cart. The bookstore's
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Our books are hand selected, thoroughly reviewed and rated by rarepalmseeds.com. The rating is
our rating and can be different from the one shown at powells, b&n or amazon.
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Our Review: Finally reprinted! This is a useful guide for anybody interested in the palm tree, whether as a potential
grower or simply as an admirer of these beautiful plants. Packed with useful tips on how to grow and cultivate your
own palm trees and cycads. On 254 pages 200 species of palm are covered in detail, one per page, plus 24 cycads. Fully
illustrated with colour photography showing these stunning plants at their best.
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Book Description: Comprehensive profiles for 82 palm species capable of growing in climates colder
than USDA Hardiness Zone 10. 168 color pages 286 color photographs A list of minimum average temperature exposures for
an additional 139 palms. Features include cold hardy palms that are drought tolerant, highly salt tolerant, shade tolerant,
hazardous to humans (including irritating fruits) and much more. This book covers most of the U.S. and Europe.
Dr Alan W. Meerow was the former Professor and Palm and Tropical Ornamentals Specialist at the University of
Florida’s Fort Lauderdale Research & Education Center. He currently works as a geneticist for the Agricultural
Research Service, and is a research collaborator at Fairchild Tropical Garden. He received his B.S. degree in botany
and environmental horticulture from the University of California at Davis and his M.S. and Ph.D from the University
of Florida in horticultural science and botany. Dr. Meerow originated and taught the course Palm Production and Culture
for many years in the University’s Ft. Lauderdale Degree Program in Environmental Horticulture, and currently conducts
research in various aspects of tropical horticulture and botany. He has been recognized by the Florida Nursery, Growers
and Landscape Association as Horticultural Writer of the Year in 1990, and Educator of the Year in 1991. Dr. Meerow
is an internationally recognized authority on! the amaryllis family and has published numerous scientific papers on
the taxonomy of that group. He has published over 200 scientific, extension, trade and popular magazine articles on
plants. He is the author of Betrock’s Guide to Landscape Palms, and with Timothy K. Broschat, Betrock’s Reference
Guide to Florida Landscape Plants, and Ornamental Palm Horticulture.
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Book Description: Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs is a visual masterpiece filled with
spectacular images of palm trees from around the world. From the formal gardens of Versailles to a lush tropical rainforest
in the South Pacific, you'll enjoy the vast diversity of palms that inhabit our planet.
• Beautiful hardcover binding with more than 130 photos.
• Filled with images of rarely photographed species.
• An ideal gift for landscapers, gardeners and palm lovers.
David Leaser is a longtime member of the International Palm Society and the International Plant Propagators Society.
His interest in palm trees inspired him to visit some of the most beautiful palm gardens in the world, where he began
to photograph their collections. By showing palm trees in the landscape, Leaser has created a book that will appeal
to all lovers of the tropics.
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Book Description: Tree ferns in the landscape command the attention of both devoted gardeners
and casual passersby. The stately form of these ferns resembles that of the palm tree and evokes a feeling of the quintessentially
exotic. Tree ferns are successful survivors from the distant past, with plant forms dating back to the Jurassic period.
Yet tree ferns are still rapidly evolving---they have been discovered growing among the cinders of active Hawaiian volcanoes.
In the wild, tree ferns occur in certain subtropical and tropical environments and in Southern Hemisphere temperate
forests, where they give an immediate and characteristic flavor to the vegetation. They are commonly cultivated in warmer
regions of the world, but various species grow well in cooler climates. There are hundreds of different kinds of tree
ferns, and the authors have traveled extensively to study and photograph them in the wild, in addition to observing
tree ferns in collections. This volume is the source of information on the living tree ferns. It surveys families, genera,
and species that are suitable for the home garden. It offers up-to-date taxonomy and detailed descriptions, as well
as in-depth coverage of everything from tree fern use to conservation. In recognition of the horticultural importance
of tree ferns, the authors provide extensive cultivation information, including propagation and diseases and pests.
Although some emphasis is placed on those species cultivated in Australasia and the United States, species from around
the world are also discussed.
John E. Braggins taught botany at the University of Auckland for more than 30 years before taking early retirement.
Braggins has traveled widely through Asia, Africa, and the Pacific to study ferns. He has published more than 40 papers
and is a freelance botanical consultant based in Auckland, New Zealand.
Mark F. Large's interest in fern evolution and paleobotany spans 20 years. He has authored many fern publications
and acted as a botanical consultant for the popular television series Walking with Dinosaurs. He is an associate professor
of botany and heads the School of Landscape and Plant Science at UNITEC Institute of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
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Our Review: (Timber Press) Co-written by the author of the award-winning The Tropical
Look, An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms offers a definitive account of palms that may be grown in the garden and
landscape. Because palms are often underutilized as a result of their unfamiliarity -- even to tropical gardeners --
Robert Lee Riffle and Paul Craft have exhaustively documented every genus in the palm family. Approximately 890 species
are described in detail, including cold hardiness, water needs, height, and any special requirements. No gardener or
landscaper who reads this book should ever again lose a palm solely because of lack of horticultural information.
Generously illustrated with more than 900 photos, An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms is as valuable as an identification
guide as it is a practical handbook. The volume even contains photos of several palm species that have never before
appeared in a general encyclopedia. Interesting snippets of history, ethnobotany, and biology inform the text and make
this a lively catalog of these remarkable plants. As well as all of the tropical and subtropical palms, the encyclopedia
includes many species that can withstand freezing; thus it is applicable for areas where average low temperatures do
not drop below 5ºF (-15ºC).
Many features of the book add to its usefulness for the amateur or professional grower. Extensive landscape lists group
together palms with special characteristics, such as drought tolerance, salt tolerance, and slow growth, to name a few.
A unique appendix with notes on germinating seed of selected palms will prove invaluable to gardeners and nursery professionals
who wish to grow palms from seed. In all, An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms offers a wealth of information
to horticulturists at every level of experience.
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Our Review: (by Martin Gibbons) Absolutely the best general palm book - ever! Wonderful!
With hundreds of colour photographs. Covers many species, in a very readable style, comprehensive care and cultivation
instructions, in fact everything you could ask for in a palm book. Valuable contributions on Trachycarpus by yours truly!
It will be the palm Bible for many years to come.
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Our Review: (by Martin Gibbons) This book is sorely needed and long overdue. There is
a colour photo of almost every species (over 100 are discussed) and keys to enable the reader to identify agave and
yucca. It is a brilliant book, easy to use, using simple language and it is highly recommended. With growing tips, chapters
about propagation and winter protection, and watering regimes. I had to laugh when I read that in hot climates (and
here the author is talking 100 deg F+) A. americana should be watered just twice per month! I guess that means that
in the UK they probably never need watering! Each species is rated for cold hardiness and there is a chunky paragraph
covering each and every plant’s cultural requirements. All in all a great book!
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Our Review: (by Tobias Spanner) A very useful and well written compendium of tropical
looking landscape plants for the warm temperate and subtropical garden. The books 428 text pages are filled with useful
information on cultivation, cold hardiness, landscape uses etc. and a 100-page photo section provides excellent pictures
for most plants.
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Description: (Write
a review! Click to open your e-mail program and see review instructions)
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Description: Palms provide strong, natural focal points in a garden, and, as hardy evergreens,
add year-round interest. Make the most of these versatile plants with a photo-packed introduction to palms for every
climate and landscape. An extensive directory covers more than 100 species of palms, yuccas, agaves, cordylines, phormiums,
and astelias, as well as mixed plantings, hard landscaping, and the use of tubs, planters, and other containers. Choose
large trees that turn an area into an exotic oasis or grove, or smaller plants for successful borders and garden accents.
Simple instructions for planting, maintenance, and propagation come with close-up drawings of each step. Hardiness ratings
and notes on individual growing requirements help maximize foliage color, shape, and texture of diverse flowers, fruits,
trunks, and leaves.
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Our Review: (by Martin Gibbons) Absolutely the best book on the subject, it covers all
known species and gives guidance on cultivation and propagation, as well as recognition. A must for all Cycad fans!
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Our Review: (by Tobias Spanner) Could this be the new 'Cycad Bible'? Definitely an important
book and a must for all cycad enthusiasts! (More in-depth review coming soon)
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Our Review: (by Tobias Spanner) This book will provide you with all the information you
ever wanted on the general cultivation of palms. While it does not discuss individual species of palms, you can read
up in-depth on propagation, fertilization, insect pests and diseases, commercial palm production, landscape management
and many other subjects. A color picture section helps you to identify the cause of problems with your palms. Personally
I think this is the best and most useful palm book published in recent years and no serious grower should be without
it.
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Our Review: (by Martin Gibbons) This is the second edition of David Jones world famous
"cycad bible". More than 450 pages! Absolutely the best book on the subject, it covers all known species and
gives guidance on cultivation and propagation, as well as recognition. A must for all Cycad fans!
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Our Review: (Write
a review! Click to open your e-mail program and see review instructions).
Book cover: Palms constitute one of the largest botanical families and include some of the world's most important
economic plants. They are also unequaled as outdoor and indoor ornamental plants, and include many species that are
components of the ecosystems of tropical and other warm regions. This book reviews the interrelationships between palms
and insects, emphasizing the similarities in different world regions. The host plants, distribution and bionomics of
representative insects are discussed according to their feeding sites on palms (foliage, flowers, fruits and stems),
and their taxonomic groups. Host and distribution records for the most extensively-represented insect families on palms
are tabulated. Pest management and field techniques are also covered. This book is an essential reference for tropical
biologists and agricultural scientists, including entomologists, horticulturists and tropical ecologists as well as
palm nursery growers, managers and enthusiasts.
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Our Review: (Write
a review! Click to open your e-mail program and see review instructions)
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Our Review: (Write
a review! Click to open your e-mail program and see review instructions)
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Our Review: (by Martin Gibbons) This compact book is the best selling palm book in the
world (80.000 copies sold, translated into five languages)! With 80 pages, and covering 120 species all in full colour,
it not only aids identification, but covers cultivation (both indoor and outdoor), plant pests, etc. and represents
excellent value, much of the information being based on the author's personal experience both as a nurseryman and palm
grower, and international explorer.
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Our Review: (by Tobias Spanner) This field guide allows you to correctly identify virtually
any palm in the Americas and is a definite must when travelling the New World.
Our Review: (by Martin Gibbons) My copy of this wonderful book was given to me by no less a luminary than
Sir David Attenborough, so it has a special place in my collection. From continued use, both in the office and in the
field, it is now looking a bit sad, an indication of just how useful it has been. It got rained on while trying to identify
Bactris militaris in Costa Rica, and trodden on amongst the Geonomas in Ecuador. There is simply no other book like
it for the palms of the Americas, both north and south. Every species from the humid Everglades of Florida to the misty
mountains of Chile is covered, from Acoelorrhaphe to Zombia. Many are photographed in colour, and there are keys (some
of which even work!) for the more complex genera. I cannot recommend this book too highly. Buy it, use it, love it!
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Our Review: (by Tobias Spanner) A very useful book that presents a wide selection of palms
especially for Florida and similar climates, each with exhaustive cultivation instructions and a colour photograph.
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Our Review: (by Tobias Spanner) This book targets the scientist or serious cycad enthusiast
and provides a very extensive, detailed and thoroughly referenced look at Cycad anatomy, reproduction, physiology, growth
and population biology. Apart from an interesting chapter on fossil cycads, the authors provide descriptions of today's
living cycads in a densely printed 100 page section in the back of the book.
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Our Review: (by Tobias Spanner) It is THE book on Agaves and will not leave many questions
unanswered.
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Our Review: (by Tobias Spanner) An unsurpassed guide to these most beautiful of all tropical
flowers. Every species and cultivar is beautifully illustrated with a colour photograph that makes identification easy
for everybody. The book also provides useful instructions for the cultivation of Heliconias.
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Our Review: (by Tobias Spanner) This 450 page book is definitely the best attempt I have
ever seen at dealing with a group as large as the ferns are. The author covers every aspect, from botany over cultivation
and propagation to a large section that provides information on over 700 species of fern, from tiny epiphytic species
to majestic treeferns. Many are illustrated with colour photographs or diagnostic line drawings. David Jones stands
for quality. He is the author of many other excellent books such as "Palms Throughout the World" or "Cycads
of the World".
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Our Review: (by Martin Gibbons) A wonderful and colourful new book which will provide
guidance and inspiration to all would-be exotic gardeners, whether amateur or professional. Broadly divided into sections:
Colour, Jungle, Mediterranean, form & texture, etc, there is also a useful chapter on cultivation and propagation,
together with an A-Z directory on the best species to use. Illustrated in full colour throughout. Note: check out my
garden, on page 61.
Reader Review: (by Alan Hindle) With many stunning colour photographs it illustrates how to use hardy or
near hardy exotics to introduce colour, texture and form to the cool temperate garden. The author discusses the use
of hardy palms, bamboos, phormiums and other architectural evergreens to provide a permanent hardy structure and backbone.
Three chapters then describe how to create each of the three main types of exotic garden :- the colourful tropical-look
garden using contrasting textures and hot reds, oranges and yellows provided by plants like cannas, bananas, gingers,
aroids, dahlias and coleus; the lush jungle-style garden incorporating hardy ferns, hostas and grasses into the evergreen
background; and the dry mediterranean style garden using succulents, yuccas and other drought resistant plants. Most
gardens possess the microclimates to create at least two of these styles. The author then goes on to discuss the techniques
he uses to grow and over-winter the main groups of exotics, namely cordylines, succulents, cannas, gingers, tree ferns,
aroids, bananas, coleus and bamboo. The final chapter is a directory of exotic plants by genus with descriptions of
the best species to use, heights, site and soil requirements and both U.K. and U.S. hardiness ratings. Refreshingly
for us palm enthusiasts, the section on palms includes not only trachycarpus and chamaerops but also brahea, butia,
jubaea, nannorrhops and phoenix.
In conclusion, for dedicated palm lovers this book offers us the inspiration to turn our spiky green palm collections
into the core of an exotic paradise - well worth the £17.99 asking price! |
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