If you are an interiorscape business owner, manager, supervisor, trainer, or technician, owning a copy of this essential book is a must for anyone involved in indoor plant care. It serves as an invaluable reference throughout your career as you build upon its concepts and practices. “Hamilton’s Commercial Indoor Plants” is a classic in the field of interior plantscapes.
Early in my 45-year career in the interiorscape industry, I discovered this book and absorbed its wisdom, applying its scientific approach to indoor plant care like a sponge. At that time, there weren’t many sources available that offered the type and quality of information contained in this volume, aside from personal experiences in the industry. That’s what makes the book truly special: it compiles many years of real-world experience in choosing, installing, maintaining, and even replacing plants in commercial settings.
Practical lessons learned and catalogued by actual interiorscaping technicians provide a wealth of knowledge and guidance for yet another generation of plant care professionals. With the goal of reducing plant replacements to nearly zero and enhancing the beauty of plantings through effective watering techniques, this volume acts as a field guide to the successful maintenance of decorative live plants in commercial environments.
The book covers a wide range of topics, from the history of the interior plant industry to the unique characteristics and behaviors of major families of indoor plants—trees, palms, canes, vines, ferns, lilies, succulents, and cacti—along with their specialized uses. It gives in-depth treatment to essential aspects such as lighting, fertilization, grooming, root to soil ratios, and most importantly, when and how to water plants in specific conditions. These thorough yet practical tips alleviate the stress of managing each plant type and situation, ensuring plant longevity and attractiveness, whether dealing with simple individual plants in containers or elaborate atrium plantings.
By the end of the book, readers gain a solid grounding in the necessary concepts for success with interior plantscapes and learn how to utilize each type of plant effectively for a decorative statement in indoor environments.
As someone who has been a technician, as well as a manager and trainer of novice plant technicians, I can personally vouch for the validity of the concepts and techniques taught in this book. The Hamilton plant care library also features companion volumes that serve as excellent handbooks for technicians to reference while working in the field.
I give this book FIVE STARS … an updated classic, the Bible of interior plant care!
