The Plant Book The ultimate guide to thriving houseplants

by Huynh, Tammy

• ISBN13: 9781761500718
• ISBN10: 1761500716
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781923492158
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2025-11-04
• Publisher: Murdoch Books
• More Book Details

Summary

Award-winning horticulturist Tammy Huynh covers the essentials of indoor plant care in this stunning book featuring an abundance of colorful photos and illustrations.

Many plant parents are frustrated by conflicting advice online, or simply don't know why they keep ending up with plant casualties. With this book, you can finally discover what each plant needs to thrive, the common problems they face and their remedies.

The Plant Book cuts through the noise with clear information that will help you grow and nurture healthy, resilient indoor plants. Tammy has selected the 50 most-loved houseplants and for each profile she offers:

• A detailed description
• Icons to indicate ideal care conditions
• A list of cultivars
• A list of common problems for that specific plant with photos to help you visually recognize and diagnose plant issues

In addition, the "Houseplants 101" chapter covers general tips on lighting, potting mix, watering, fertilizer, humidity, pests and diseases, buying plants, hydroponics, and pots and planters. There's a heavy focus on troubleshooting with diagnostic flow charts, allowing you to identify and resolve plant problems, even for species not covered in the book.

The Plant Book will empower you to confidently spot and solve your plant problems, so we can all become super plant parents and avoid further plant casualties.

Author Biography

Tammy Huynh is a qualified horticulturist and passionate plant woman. She's been in the horticultural industry for over a decade, but her love of plants started when she was young, pottering about the garden with her maternal grandmother. For her grandma, a Vietnamese-Chinese refugee, gardening was a means of survival, not a pastime. Fresh out of university, Tammy landed her first job as an assistant magazine editor for Better Homes and Gardens and helped her parents cultivate an edible bamboo farm at the same time. She then did a short stint at Yates, before leaving in 2018 to start her own business, Leaf an Impression. This led to a guest presenter slot on TVSN, and eventually Gardening Australia in 2022, before she formally joined the team in 2023. Tammy's focus is indoor plants and small spaces, but her love of gardening extends beyond these areas. She was awarded the Horticulturist of the Year by the Australian Institute of Horticulture in 2021.

Table of Contents

Part One: Houseplant Care
Lighting
Potting mix and other growing mediums
Watering
Fertiliser
Humidity
Pests and diseases
Pots
Hunting for houseplants
Maintenance
Hydroculture, semi-hydro and hydroponics
Going away?
Troubleshooting

Part Two: Plant Profiles and Care
Maidenhair ferns (Adiantum spp.) 
Lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus radicans) 
Chinese evergreens (Aglaonema spp.) 
Elephant’s ears (Alocasia spp.) 
Flamingo flower (Anthurium andraeanum) 
Crystal anthurium (Anthurium crystallinum) 
Bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus) 
Polka dot begonia (Begonia maculata) 
Rex begonias (Begonia Rex Cultorum Group) 
Angel wings (Caladium spp.) 
Chain of hearts (Ceropegia linearis subsp. woodii) 
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) 
Never never plants (Ctenanthe spp.) 
String of pearls (Curio rowleyanus) 
Persian cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) 
Rabbit’s foot fern (Davallia solida var. fejeensis) 
Dumb canes (Dieffenbachia spp.) 
Fishbone cactus (Disocactus anguliger) 
Happy plant (Dracaena fragrans) 
Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) 
Mother-in-law’s tongue (Dracaena trifasciata) 
Fern leaf cactus (Epiphyllum chrysocardium) 
Devil’s ivy (Epipremnum aureum) 
Rubber plant (Ficus elastica) 
Fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) 
Creeping fig (Ficus pumila) 
Nerve plant (Fittonia albivenis) 
Calatheas (Goeppertia spp.) 
Umbrella trees (Heptapleurum spp.) 
Homalomenas (Homalomena spp.) 
Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) 
Wax flowers (Hoya spp.) 
Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) 
Monsteras (Monstera spp.) 
Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) 
Purple shamrock (Oxalis triangularis) 
Peperomias (Peperomia spp.) 
Moth orchids (Phalaenopsis spp.) 
Philodendrons (Philodendron spp.) 
Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides) 
Mini monstera (Rhaphidophora tetrasperma) 
Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa) 
Mistletoe cacti (Rhipsalis spp.) 
Satin vine (Scindapsus pictus) 
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) 
Giant bird of paradise (Strelitzia nicolai) 
African violet (Streptocarpus ionanthus) 
Arrowhead plant (Syngonium podophyllum) 
Spiderworts (Tradescantia spp.) 
ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)