Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low-Light Houseplants

Grow in the Dark is a tutorial for maximizing the use of plants in the home whilst helping them to thrive at less than ideal light levels. There are a number of classic and popular houseplants which can tolerate low lighting. Author Lisa Eldred Steinkopf is a horticulture blogger and plant expert who has turned her authorial attentions to choosing and maintaining low light plants suited to the home.

Due out 7th May 2019 from Quarto on their Cool Springs imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in hardcover format.  The book's introduction covers definitions and moves into a discussion of siting and light levels. There's a clever list of ways to maximize the usefulness of available light and redirect it toward your plants (reflective surfaces such as mirrors), keeping windows clean, etc. There are some really good tips included which I hadn't thought about.

The second and third chapters cover plant nutrients and diseases. The photography throughout the book is good, the troubleshooting photos especially showing different diseases and nutrient deficiencies were very clear and explanatory.

The last section of the book is an alphabetical list of specific plant profiles. The profiles are listed by common name with thumbnails, however the Latin names are included in each listing to avoid confusion. There's a cross-referenced index at the end of the book (with Latin names included) to make specific plants easier to find. The listings are comprehensive and include a color photograph, icons for light and water needs as well as a very useful toxicity listing (for pets/small humans), along with a description of propagation techniques, mature plant size, and other info.

The book is mostly slanted to the urban indoor gardener. For people looking to expand their houseplant horizon past spider plants (Chlorophytum sp.) and snake plants (Sansevieria sp.), this book includes a number of lesser known but worthy plants from which to choose.

It's unclear from the pre-publication information available whether the book will be available in electronic format, but the eARC which was provided for review includes a handy interactive table of contents.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes