Green Dumb Guide to Houseplants: 45 Unfussy Plants That Are Easy to Grow and Hard to Kill

by Holly Theisen-Jones

Overview

We all love the idea of houseplants, and maybe you've stood by helplessly as a cactus went all slimy or you've endured the perpetual indoor autumn of an unhappy Ficus. Good news—all of the plants in this book have two things in common: They're easy to find and hard to kill.

The benefits of plant ownership are legion. Studies indicate just being around plants creates a relaxing effect on people. And plants make great roommates—no Peace Lily will ever criticize you for quitting your workout video to go finish a box of Triscuits.
 
Does your bedroom have a mattress on the floor and Christmas lights taped to the wall? Put a Money Tree in the corner. Instant upgrade! Are you a corporate lackey trapped under fluorescent lights and a drop-tile ceiling? A colorful Calathea or a chunky little Aloe could help restore your will to live. The Green Dumb Guide to Houseplants is full of useful advice, crucial dos and don'ts, and keys to identifying that cool plant you saw at your grandma's house one time—ensuring success to even the most risk-averse, commitment-phobic indoor gardeners.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781797220628
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	05/16/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
Sales rank:	101,691
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Holly Theisen-Jones wrote a viral piece on wellness-industry influencers for McSweeney's in 2017 called "My Fully Optimized Life Allows Me Ample Time to Optimize Yours" and was subsequently shocked by people's inability to distinguish satire from reality after she was offered contracts as a life coach, invited to contribute to wellness blogs, and even asked to speak at events. As she says, "At first, it was funny. Then it was scary." During a brief, unimpressive career in horticulture, Holly learned that she is to tropical plants as Charlie Brown is to Christmas trees and switched careers to human services. If plant murder were a crime, she would be on the way to Venezuela. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, child, six frogs, and a house full of plastic succulents.

Editorial Reviews

" A charming, browsable, useful book for beginners...The layout is colorful and inviting, and humorous asides pepper the text."

—Library Journal

From the Publisher

04/01/2023

Humor writer Theisen-Jones has worked as a tropical and endangered plant horticulturist and currently raises houseplants at home. In this book, she includes solid growing information for 45 relatively easy-to-grow houseplants. The heart of the book is its "Plant Profiles," divided by difficulty level into "Practically Plastic" (tolerates neglect), "Chill" (needs some care), "Fussy" (needs regular care), and "Master Gardener" (demanding). Each plant entry includes common and scientific names, the type of gardener who would enjoy growing it, appearance, countries where it is native, info and tips for growing (pot, soil, water, and light requirements), toxicity, and facts about the plant. Each entry is illustrated with a whimsical color drawing. The book ends with a glossary and a selected bibliography. The layout is colorful and inviting, and humorous asides pepper the text. VERDICT A charming, browsable, useful book for beginners, although some of the plants here might be more challenging to grow than the author says.—Sue O'Brien

Library Journal