No comments about Growing Successful Orchids: In the Conservatory and Greenhouse.

4 comments about Genus Paphiopedilum: A Kew Magaine Monograph (Kew Magazine Monograph).

1. This is a poorly written text, which depicts author's complete unfamiliarity with the Paphiopedilums. An amateurish writing. Cribb, whose initial PhD thesis is in the cultivated potatos of South America, has made every effort to make this writing credible. His lack of first hand experience in this field comes very clearly through in this book. His ideads are often out-dated, and he is totally out of touch with today's realities. He is often totally dependent on information given to him by others, without proper examination of harberium material in details. His conservation ideas are in extreme, unreal, and often tunnel-visioned singlarly.

   Contrary to his social status, Cribb needs many years of experience before being able to warite ably on such a specialized topic.

   A good try for an eager novice!




2. The illustrations are wonderful and suitable for framing in my opinion. The detailed information on the natural locations of each species listed is very useful for replicating suitable conditions to encourage flowering. As a scientist I was not at all disappointed with the way the book was written. one must consider that this man is a scientist , not a journalist so he assumes a certain level of education in his readership.



3. This book is a classic in the field as evidenced by the long waiting list for used copies at McQuerry Books until the second edition came out in 1998 (I just placed an order for one from the American Orchid Society as it wasn't listed here). I would gladly buy a copy of the first edition if available.

   The first edition is an invaluable tool for orchid growers interested in the cultural requirements and ecology of these beautiful plants. The second edition is even better. I rate the second edition over the books of Lance Birk, Catherine Cash and Guido Braem for both the casual pap grower as well as expert growers.

   The diatribe by the anonymous 'Reader from New York' is totally unwarranted (sounds as thought it was written by a minion of Guido Braem, whose disagreements with Crib are well known in orchid curcles).




4. To call Phillip Cribb an amateur, given that he's curator of the Orchid Herbarium at the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, is to look silly. I assume the negative reviewer gave the lowest rating to try to pull down the average.

   The first edition is a great book, and the second is indeed better. In addition, if like me you're the kind of orchid grower who loves to curl up with a taxonomic monograph that's well written, beautifully illustrated, and a joy to read, then be sure to buy "Slipper Orchids of Vietnam" of which Cribb is one of the authors. I'm also tempted to get Cribb's Cypripedium book, even though I can't grow that genus in the summer heat of Texas.

   In fact, not just books by Cribb, but all Kew botanical monographs are great references, educational, insightful, pleasant reading, and worth the money.

No comments about Growing Orchids: The Hybrid Story (Growing Orchids Series, No 7).

No comments about Growing & Displaying Orchids: A Step-By-Step Guide (Step-By-Step).

No comments about Growing Orchids Book Three: Vandas, Dendrobiums and Others.

3 comments about Orchids.

1. I can't recommend this book highly enough. The photography is fantastic and the informative text is written in an easy to read style. References to individual plants and supplies are up-to-date, too. You can't go wrong with this book, which is available for a surprisingly low price.



2. I am very disappointed by this book. While the pictures are plentiful and striking, the information in the book is essentially useless. While the authors make a valiant attempt to cover a breadth of species, they do so at the expense of providing any depth beyond what you might expect from your teenager's research report. The vast majority of photos are extreme close-ups of the blooms - great if you're looking for a coffee table book. Since there are few pictures of complete plants, however, the photos do not really aid in plant identification. Finally, a casual read uncovered three typos - all of which would have been caught through a spell check. I'm left thinking the authors were more interested in making a quick buck than making a quality contribution to the science and methods of orchid care.



3. As one of the authors of this book (the photographer) I am sorry that you are disappointed. The book was never intended to address the "science and methods of orchid care", nor was it intended to serve as a field guide for identifying species. The book's purpose is to share the beauty of these flowers with those who are unfamiliar, and offer a non-technical, easy reading introduction to the history, classification, and culture of orchids. The publishers contracted us to produce a coffee table book and that is exactly what we did.

1 comments about Miniature Orchids and How to Grow Them.

1. Truly, a fine book, but I doubt it's for beginners. After a brief (30 page) culture and environment description and introduction, there's a list of the miniature orchids you can (possibly) grow...but here is the crux of the problem. The plants are described, but it seems as if the descriptions are simply being quoted from some unknown source; mostly there are no culture descriptions. Most orchids aren't all that cheap, and most growers like to do research on what they're going to buy. Temperature, humidity, resting period, etc are all important...and unless you can do a search on some of these true rarities, the money (and the search time) will be simply wasted. There's simply nothing about them other than the descriptions.

3 comments about Orchids: A Complete Guide to Cultivation and Care (Gardener's Guide).

1. This book has some of the best pictures of orchid blooms I have ever seen - like looking at the real plant! The book goes beyond the usual with color pictures of the structure of the different types of orchids and a wealth of informational "tidbits" surrounding the beautiful color pictures. The oversized book allows for larger type that makes reading it a pleasure. A wonderful resource book to add to your "orchid" library.



2. I have 5 or 6 books on basic orchid care and this supasses all of them in depth of content. It is simple to understand and the pictures are breathtaking. More importantly, they examine every part of orchid care, not just the basic air, light, water. There are detailed instructions on how to hybridize your own orchids, which I have only seen before in costly advanced books. I feel this book is an excellent resource for the beginner who has an orchid or two and wishes to know more. It's a handy reference for "just the basics" as well.



3. As a windowsill orchid hobbyist who already owns a few beginner's books, I found this one to be beautifully designed with gorgeous photos and photographic step-by-step directions on full repotting (including root trimming), dropping on an orchid (moving a healthy but overgrown plant to a larger pot w/o touching root system), orchids in baskets, and mounting orchids on bark. The section on pests/disease is also very clearly articulated with large photographic examples.

   The book does, however, go into quite a bit of detail about different types of orchid pollination, propagation, as well as greenhouse construction. While these topics might be interesting for the first-time grower, I'm a little unsure as to whether most "newbies" starting out with a handful of plants have THAT kind of space, time, or money to devote to the hobby, at least at first. I was also hoping for a bit more info on miniature orchids. Then again, coming from a f/t grad student who has to relocate herself and her orchids every 6-10 months, you may want to take that with a grain of salt! Buy this book? Yes! But you may later want something else that suits your specific growing conditions.

No comments about The Gardener's Guide to Growing Orchids.

1 comments about Orchid Basics: A Step-by-Step Guide to Growing and General Care.

1. This book is aimed at the reader justing starting on their journey into the world of orchids. The early chapters cover the basics of buying and growing orchids. The last five chapters are especially helpful to the beginning grower as they give specific suggestions for the types of orchids that will do well in the garden, an alpine house and in cool, intermediate or warm greenhouses.

   I would recommend this book to someone that is wondering if they really want to take the plunge into the world of orchid growing. The information is presented in an easy to read style without presenting an overwhelming amount of technical language.