Florida's Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines

Reliable company, product sent right out after ordering. I wanted information on fruit trees that grow best in SW Florida, and it had a great variety. I just wish it had more information regarding planting and how much healthy soil to add to Florida's terrible sand-soil per tree and it did not. My nursery swears by this book though, so that says a lot! :0)

This is a visually stunning and imminently usable reference book. The author presents some eighty varieties of fruit that grow well in Florida. Most varieties are presented in two-page spreads which include all the basic information one would need (other than an actual taste test) to decide what fruit to include in plans for dooryard gardens, including but not limited to: a full-color illustration of the fruit and how it grows on the plant (most grow on trees); a calendar bar depicting when the fruit is ready to harvest, a map showing where in Florida the fruit will grow (dark green for where it should grow well, light green for where it may grow although conditions are not optimal, and yellow in borderline areas); a silhouette depicting the tree or plant with a scale to indicate the mature size; known hazards (e.g. spines, thorns, pollen, toxic seeds, and so on); soil types and conditions, and much more. There are also many photographs and illustrations showing the fruit cut open.Of the varieties of fruit presented, I found a total of forty possibilities for growing on my property (central west coast of Florida, on the Nature Coast): thirteen in the dark green area, thirteen in the light green area, and fourteen in the yellow area.Those totally committed to growing only Florida native plants may be bothered to find fruit like loquat (Japanese plum) presented in this book as it is sometimes considered invasive or a threat to become invasive. Any time a non-native species is planted, there is a risk of its seeds being carried into the wild, including by birds and wildlife. There are advantages to growing plants, including fruit, native to an area; in Florida, the list of native fruit that grows well might be a short list.In many cases, the author presents representative varieties of the fruit, when in fact there may be hundreds of varieties. The book includes a disappointingly short list of nurseries and could be improved by including more information about where to purchase fruit trees and plants.Nevertheless, I find no trouble in highly recommending this book. I was considering buying a copy and found it at my local library and decided to check it out and review it first. Now that I have done so, I believe this book would be a bargain at full price.

I am an avid rare and tropical fruit enthusiast and have a garden full of the best of the best and am always looking to plant more. In a very concise manner, it lays out the 'need to know' information on the plant such as:how tall it will be at full sizewhich is the best cultivar (variety) of the fruit that will do the best in south Florida and produce the best resultsdetailed description of the tree and the fruitwhere in Florida it will grow the bestpotential pestsrelativesfull color pictures and drawingsThe only thing that kept the book from earning a well deserved 5 star rating is that it is lacking if the plant needs sun or shade. It is fairly detailed on all other manners of care such as watering requirements, soil types, and possible pests that can damage the tree. It is also missing a handful of exotics like the Miracle Fruit, Akee, Cacao, and Malay Apple. That being said, this book contains fruit that even I have never heard of before and is an excellent reference tool and is a must have for anyone who loves exotic fruit.This book was recommended to me by my good friends at Excalibur Fruit Trees in Lake Worth and if you love rare fruit and live within 2 hours, their place is my disney world. Well worth the trip but bring a truck or SUV because you WILL leave with something you've never heard of before.

I wish I had found this book years ago..it would have literally saved hundreds if not thousands of dollars for both our own home and landscaping rental properties. I love fruit trees but Florida can be tricky when it comes to plants...a few miles up the road and something will grow perfectly while other plants will die. Sun, humidity and frost conditions all converge to create a unique environment where some thrive and others survive within miles of one another.Having lived in various parts of Florida, it's not always easy to distinguish which plants will work in any given area - for example, some forms of avacado will thrive as far north as Gainesville while some forms of citrus (despite seemingly having a farther reach) have a more limited area than might be expected. Unfortunately, nursery and plant sales tend to push plants that won't always survive after the first sign of frost or during those super high humidity days...and even if they work on one side of the county it might not hold true for other areas.As a person who loves fruit trees, shrubs and other edible plants this is a GREAT book. Includes a drawing and photo for each plant. Height, location, description, alternatives/close family members of the species, where to locate and care instructions. An instant favorite and must have for any Floridian searching for those unusual fruits or simply which will work best in their own area!

This book has been very helpful book for me. I have a small orchard on the Canary Islands and try to find "exotic" plants, that are not well known here. The system of the descriptions is a bit different and need some getting used to and the characterstics assigned to the plants are very subjectiv. Still - a small, infomative handbook, easy to read.The top of the books though is still "Fruits of Warm Climates - Julia Morton", unfortunately out of print, but available on [...]

I choose this rating because I was looking to identify fruits and the pictures and descriptions provide a good guide, including how the fruits are used.