BOOK REVIEWS

Bromeliads
The Connoisseur's Guide

Andrew Steens
Random House
$NZ45.00

Reviewed by Rob Lahood

ANDREW STEENS is well known in New Zealand nursery circles as a bromeliad expert and commercial grower near Matakana, north of Auckland.

This colourful volume follows his highly successful Bromeliads for the Contemporary Garden. In a sentence, it is a must-get item for brom lovers and addicts.

Andrew takes us on a wonderful journey into the wilds of South America, explaining bromeliad habitats. He roll calls more than 300 exotic, rare and essential bromeliad species.

This book is beautifully presented, easily referenced and very comprehensive; a credit to Andrew and his publisher.

It discusses specialist nurseries, importing bromeliads, hybridising, and looks at rare and exotic collections.

Andrew discusses growing great bromeliads in greenhouses, indoors, outdoors and in temperate and subtropical zones.

Bromeliad buffs are like great rose lovers, inveterate orchid students and intrepid plant hunters — they have passion.

Sometimes their collections envelop their whole property, inside and out, spilling from the lawns to enclosures, on to fences, trees and garages, into patios and on to clotheslines.

Bromeliads — the Connoisseur's Guide will only encourage the trend. Beware, you could get hooked on these pets.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH