Molly Williams

The colorful, peculiar history of the houseplant—from ancient Rome to Victorian England to Instagram—a botanical adventure full of histrionic highs, devastating lows, and sensational turning points along the way. From the hanging gardens of Babylon to that fiddle-leaf fig in your living room, houseplants have been humanity's companions for a millennia. Taming the Potted Beast explores the history of our air-purifying friends with an entertaining narrative of the peculiar, often dramatic story of the cultivation and domestication of the not-so-humble houseplant. Including entertaining historical vignettes, DIY plant projects, and accessible tips and tricks for caring for your own historical houseplant collection, this book has any plant-curious reader covered. Readers will come away with practical projects, expert advice, and an understanding of the historical significance of houseplants as well as an appreciation of the cultures from which they emerged. Both fascinating and fun, Taming the Potted Beast will take readers on exhilarating botanical adventure through the ages.

The Strange and Sensational History of the Not-So-Humble Houseplant

Taming the Potted Beast

Explore the darker side of nature with this accessible guide to choosing, growing, and caring for carnivorous and predatory plants like Venus flytraps, pitcher plants, sundews, and other spooky guys. Carnivorous plants: they're weird, they're gorgeous, and they're the perfect addition to your urban jungle of pothos, snake plants, and succulents. However, they can also be intimidating to grow and care for. Let Killer Plants be your guide as it walks you through the different types of carnivorous plants and how to keep each variety alive and well. The book answers the many questions you may have surrounding these freaks of nature, such as: Where the heck do I buy a pitcher plant? Can I grow it from a seed? Do I need to feed my carnivorous plant flies, or can it survive on water and light alone? What carnivorous plants are safe to have around pets and kids? I have a gnat problem -- what predatory plant can help?

Growing and Caring for Flytraps, Pitcher Plants, and Other Deadly Flora

Killer Plants

The colorful, peculiar history of the houseplant--from ancient Rome to Victorian England to Instagram--a botanical adventure full of histrionic highs, devastating lows, and sensational turning points along the way. From the hanging gardens of Babylon to that fiddle-leaf fig in your living room, houseplants have been humanity's companions for a millennia. Taming the Potted Beast explores the history of our air-purifying friends with an entertaining narrative of the peculiar, often dramatic story of the cultivation and domestication of the not-so-humble houseplant. Including entertaining historical vignettes, DIY plant projects, and accessible tips and tricks for caring for your own historical houseplant collection, this book has any plant-curious reader covered. Readers will come away with practical projects, expert advice, and an understanding of the historical significance of houseplants as well as an appreciation of the cultures from which they emerged. Both fascinating and fun, Taming the Potted Beast will take readers on exhilarating botanical adventure through the ages.

The reader is asked to help three friends find a ghost in a spooky mansion and solve a variety of picture puzzles along the way.

Molly Williams

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