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Veronica Peerless
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How Not to Kill Your Houseplant: Survival Tips for the Horticulturally Challenged Hardcover – August 15, 2017

by Veronica Peerless (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 7,182 ratings
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You had one job: watering your new plant. But it's been a week and it's already dying.

Fear not! This helpful guide is here to show you how to rescue your plants. Follow the survival tips outlined in this book and you’ll be on your way to having your home brimming with green life.


It’s absolutely possible not to assassinate your houseplant – all you need is this book! From identifying exactly what's in the pot to helping it flourish and grow, this is your guide to creating an oasis of happy, flourishing houseplants.

With over 50 different types of popular houseplants, this book summarizes what type of care your plants do (or don't) need. Find out which types of plants will thrive in your living space. You’ll also discover how to keep a cactus alive, where to hang air plants, and how to repot succulents. Understand how much light, water, heat, and humidity your plant needs. Whatever your horticulture woes, this book will explain and fix it.

Yellowed leaves, drooping leaves, and dried leaves – learn to spot the danger signs and how to take the proper action to rescue your sick plant. Packed with helpful tips, pictures, and information panels, How Not to Kill Your Houseplant will equip you with the skills necessary to raise a healthy plant.

Give Your Plants a Chance!

If you’re horticulturally challenged and can’t keep a house plant alive to save your life, then this book is for you! This practical guide to raising indoor plants equips you with the know-how you need to care for your plants. 

Inside the pages of this comprehensive gardening book from, you’ll discover:

   • Tips on watering and feeding plants.
   • Advice on how to choose the perfect house plants for your unique space and needs.
   • Helpful survival tips and simple ways not to kill your plants.
   • Everything you need to know about lighting for house plants, from natural to artificial lighting sources.
   • Learn to spot the danger signs in unhealthy indoor plants and the effective techniques on how to rescue them.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    144 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    DK
  4. Publication date
    August 15, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 0.7 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1465463305
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1465463302
  8. See all details
Next page
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From the Publisher

Plant Diseases

Viruses: signs include mottled, yellow foliage, distorted growth, and white streaks on the flowers.

Top 5 Plants for Your Desk

Greening up your workspace is said to boost productivity and reduce stress, with scientific studies revealing that certain plants can remove toxins from the air.

Split-Leaf Philodendron

Young plants and new stems do not produce cut leaves. Uncut leaves on mature stems are a sign your plant is unhappy.

African Violet

African violets often stop blooming in winter, due to lower light levels. In spring to fall, a lack of flowers could be due to a care issue.

ZZ Plant

This striking, upright plant is easy to grow and doesn't mind being underwatered.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"..[A]ims squarely at people who've had no luck with greenery in the past—'the horticulturally challenged,' in the words of the subtitle—but who are eager to try again." — Publishers Weekly

"This easy to use guide tells you how to care for most plants we can find in stores or nurseries that are meant to be indoors, as well as what to do if things go wrong." — Budget Earth.com

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ DK; Illustrated edition (August 15, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1465463305
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1465463302
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 0.7 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 7,182 ratings

About the author

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Veronica Peerless

Veronica Peerless

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
7,182 global ratings
Good, but Repetitive
4 Stars
Good, but Repetitive
This was the first "plant book" I bought as I was moving into my millennial "want-to-live-in-an-urban-jungle-because-I-need-to-take-care-of-something-because-I-can't-afford-a-house" phase.Oh the changes that have been made...I went from owning 1 sad plant to owning something like 100 whoop-whoop-it's-4:55pm-on-Friday plants. With the help of this book, I was able to identify and *mostly* care for my plants properly. Not to say we didn't leave a few men behind in battle, but for the most part, they all are now home and making love to their wives - hypothetically, of course, because there are plants and plants don't actually "go to battle", nor do they "make love" to their wives. It's fictitious speak, people.So back to the review... I've found it helpful to quickly identify the random, yet striking plants, that I purchase at the swapmeet and learn the techniques required to care for them. This is more important for the plants are the swapmeet because, unlike Home Depot, where you can literally bring back a dead twig for a refund, this is frowned upon with my local vendors. And by frowned upon, I mean it's not a thing.My only real complaint here is that it's quite redundant and repetitive, with limited information. I understand that many many plants DO indeed require the same kind of care. But at the same time, give me a bit more to work with.For the most part, each spread is dedicated to one plant. It lists the 4 ways in which to not kill it, as follows:1) Location2) Light3) Watering + Feeding4) CareAlong with a few more plant-specific tips and tricks in the center portion, as well as plants on the right side that require nearly identical care. This does help with the monotony or repetition presented, but only so much so.All this info is readily available online, but the most helpful part again would be the quick identification of your plant in the first few pages. All in all, it's a cheap buy and likely saved me some money with dead plants. It's a small and lightweight copy, so if you've found yourself too in an urban jungle, it might be worth it to shell out a few bucks.
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Top reviews from the United States

Octavia Viralaine
5.0 out of 5 stars Really helpful book!
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2024
Verified Purchase
This book is so cute and also informative. It has a lot of really vibrant photos inside as well as alot of information on how to care for many different types of houseplants. It is really helpful and if you're looking for a good basic beginner handbook that's got most of the starter beginner information you might need to know about caring for alot of different plants. It obviously doesn't have every plant in here, but there's a really surprisingly large variety. I was impressed.
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Teethnclaws
5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and Helpful for All Plant Lovers (Experienced or Not)
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
I personally have a black thumb when it comes to anything green. I have a few low-maintenance succulents and cactuses, a couple of orchids gifted to me, even a bamboo. All have slightly different needs, but books like this are extremely helpful in clarifying if, for example, I may have over or under watered something, the right potting mix, and the lighting needs. Otherwise, I’ve lucked out on some intuitive aspects since I practically pet my plants, inspecting them regularly. Still, even a couple of years later, I’m still learning. I have some succulents that are absolutely moody when they weather changes and it can be challenging to discern when to repot or discern rot from sunburn, etc. Anyway, this book has colorful visuals, easy to follow information (I like that they reference other plants with similar needs on the same page), and there are countless examples of plants for ideal living spaces (living room, bathroom, etc).
2 people found this helpful
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Jodie Kuncken
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for a beginner
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2023
Verified Purchase
I love this book. It gives you a little bit of everything from how to purchase a plant how to feed it and water it. How much sun it needs what to do if it gets bugs how to trim my back. It even includes the types of plans for a working fireman, lol lighting or even direct lighting. There’s pictures with every page so you have a idea of different plans, well worth the money, and I refer back to this book often especially after I purchase a new plant. Five star in my opinion.
7 people found this helpful
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BobbieJo
4.0 out of 5 stars Good for a beginner!
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2024
Verified Purchase
I am a beginner when it comes to the plant life, but I like this book because it is easy to read, gives you enough to start with, and it is small in size. It is good for a quick reference to different plants.
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Christian Torres
5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING BOOK.
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
The media could not be loaded.
 This book is amazing. It has 4 pages of different plants shown with pictures and will tell you which page to flip to!! Has so much useful information for a plant beginner like myself!!!! I would recommend this book to everyone. You can tell the author put an extreme amount of thought into it. 10/10!!!!
One person found this helpful
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Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars Just what the plant doctor ordered
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2023
Verified Purchase
My wife loves having houseplants, and we've spent an ungodly amount of money over the years on the little potted beauties, only to see them all suffer the same fate as a result of their horticulturally challenged parents. This book is as advertised: a quick, visually informative guide to stop folks from killing their houseplants. From buying guides to direct instructions for how to save a plant suffering from a potentially fatal issue, this book will help home owners better understand their plant babies and respond to their specific needs.
4 people found this helpful
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MustangSally
5.0 out of 5 stars How not to kill your plants
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2024
Verified Purchase
Book was great and easy to follow.
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olliellama
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Beginner Plant Parents
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book has a fun colorful format and perfect for someone like me who hates plodding through boring text w/o pictures or books that give too much extremely complicated information that forces the reader throw the book into a pile of dirty laundry never to be opened again. While I am not a beginner plant person, my sister in law is and I bought the book for her. She called me after receiving it and said it is her new bedside book at night and finds the book very informative, but entertaining and witty. I bought a copy for myself as well so we chat on the phone and compare notes. Love.this.book.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Catherine Stapleton
5.0 out of 5 stars Really informative
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2023
Verified Purchase
I got this as a present for my mother but I like so much I think I’ll get one for me too.
She recently got into houseplants so I think it will be helpful to her especially as it’s explained in such simple terms.
Some said it’s vague but unfortunately it’s my experience that some plants if overwatered or underwatered can have similar symptoms.
Overall I think it’s very helpful.
2 people found this helpful
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Monica
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fantastic
Reviewed in Sweden on November 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a great book for beginners who need a little information about their houseplants. The format is great as well. Love it! Simple and straight to the point with lots of great tips.
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Meditator
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and useful
Reviewed in India on July 20, 2021
Verified Purchase
Comprehensive coverage of most plants which are kept indoors, useful suggestions and information.
I am really glad I have this book.
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Meditator
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and useful
Reviewed in India on July 20, 2021
Comprehensive coverage of most plants which are kept indoors, useful suggestions and information.
I am really glad I have this book.
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ZU
5.0 out of 5 stars Good purchase
Reviewed in Germany on April 20, 2021
Verified Purchase
Really helped me figure out how to take care of my plants! Super practical and easy to understand. Totally recommend this book.
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Jeanne T.
5.0 out of 5 stars Cute and useful
Reviewed in France on October 25, 2019
Verified Purchase
A charming little book both useful and entertaining. It's not big, but i paid barely more than 10 bucks for it, and I read in a sitting on a sunny afternoon. I love the approach of studying specific plants and what do the classic signs such as wilting, discoloration, etc, means to them, as I find that not all of my house plants react similarly at all to being under or over watered and other inconveniences. At the slightest sign of not enough water my calathea just grows crispy brown edges, while my english ivy in the same situation wilts as if she was an overwatered calathea. This is all good and more often than not redeemable, but nonetheless, I love having this little book that i can flip open to quickly figure out why my peace lily is throwing a tantrum. I recommend it !
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