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THE TROPICAL LOOK by Robert Lee Riffle


Diane Kirkland

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I noticed that The Tropical Look -- An Encyclopedia of Dramatic Landscape Plants is no longer being printed by Timber Press.  It was in their catalog for 10 years which is an excellent run.  

If you were planning on getting this book for your library, better hurry.

Diane

Diane

East of Seattle & Lake Washington

in Kirkland

Zone 8

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i JUST GOT IT last week at barnes & noble!great book!

a "must have" for any gardeners library.

the "prince of snarkness."

 

still "warning-free."

 

san diego,california,left coast.

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Oh thats too bad, Its a great reference book, with so much Riffle-ness in it. I have one battered and beaten copy. The spine cover had fallen off long ago, Its not the most beautiful copy of it out there, but it has been used, and I have gotten my money's worth out of it.

Zac

Zac  

Living to get back to Mexico

International Palm Society member since 2007

http://community.webshots.com/user/zacspics - My Webshots Gallery

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I saw it  for sale recently, reduced big time.

Happy Gardening

Cheers,

Wal

Queensland, Australia.

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E-Bay and Amazon.com still have plenty of them out there.  It is an excellent book.

Tampa, Interbay Peninsula, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10A

Bokeelia, Pine Island, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10B

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This is terrible news.  It is the most magnificent book on plants - it belongs on every gardener's shelf.  Unthinkable that such a wonderful book is out of print.

Not only is the information incredibly complete, the style of writing is beautiful, which is becoming a rarity.

I'm thinking of buying a "backup" copy - as mine is so worn out it's falling apart.

St. Pete

Zone - a wacked-out place between 9b & 10

Elevation = 44' - not that it does any good

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Don't know it, should I get it??

Nah -- it's only for people with an interest or involvement in plants.  

I was out in the garden for 5 hard-working/hedge pruning hours today and was laughing and thinking about Bob.  It was 62'F which is extremely warm for the Seattle area in February.  My neighbor was wearing shorts.  I used to tell Bob that the minute the temp hit 60 degrees, we thought it was summer.  He used to freeze whenever it dropped below 80 degrees.

Diane

East of Seattle & Lake Washington

in Kirkland

Zone 8

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(Jeff Searle @ Feb. 17 2007,20:42)

QUOTE
Don't know it, should I get it??

Jeff

Yes....you should get it. Has info on the basic palms, but it's more for tropical plants and trees than just palms. Definitely written from a Floridians perspective as well.

Coastal San Diego, California

Z10b

Dry summer subtropical/Mediterranean

warm summer/mild winter

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Yea.......I'm alittle new at this tropical stuff, so I just bought it.

Jeff

Searle Brothers Nursery Inc.

and The Rainforest Collection.

Southwest Ranches,Fl.

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The book has been and excellent reference source for me over the last few years.

chris.oz

Bayside Melbourne 38 deg S. Winter Minimum 0 C over past 6 years

Yippee, the drought is over.

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The book has been and excellent reference source for me over the last few years

That's nice to hear.  I have a lot of my life and good memories wrapped up in that book.

Diane

East of Seattle & Lake Washington

in Kirkland

Zone 8

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(Jeff Searle @ Feb. 18 2007,20:06)

QUOTE
Yea.......I'm alittle new at this tropical stuff, so I just bought it.

Jeff

hehe

:D

St. Pete

Zone - a wacked-out place between 9b & 10

Elevation = 44' - not that it does any good

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A few years ago, I checked this book out from the library over and over again before it hit me that I could buy it - duh!  The photo of Ficus pseudopalma, plate #208 started a months long quest for this Dr. Seuss's Truffula looking tree, I had never seen anything like it, but finally found one from a nursery in Homestead.  

Back in June, there was a thread going on about this tree and another mention of plate 208:

http://palmtalk.org/cgi-bin....3;top

Cassandra

Sultry, Semi~Tropical South Florida

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(SunnyFl @ Feb. 22 2007,06:55)

QUOTE

(Jeff Searle @ Feb. 18 2007,20:06)

QUOTE
Yea.......I'm alittle new at this tropical stuff, so I just bought it.

Jeff

hehe

:D

SunnyFl,

     Your the only one that caught that. If they only KNEW! :D

Jeff

Searle Brothers Nursery Inc.

and The Rainforest Collection.

Southwest Ranches,Fl.

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Your the only one that caught that

Well, not quite the only one -- I sit up in this corner with Open Nursery Day Envy everytime you have it!

Diane

East of Seattle & Lake Washington

in Kirkland

Zone 8

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(Diane Kirkland @ Feb. 23 2007,05:23)

QUOTE
Your the only one that caught that

Well, not quite the only one -- I sit up in this corner with Open Nursery Day Envy everytime you have it!

Diane,

     Thank-you! It would be an honor and treat if you could make it down someday! Of course, with your background, I would have to put you to work. :)

Jeff

Searle Brothers Nursery Inc.

and The Rainforest Collection.

Southwest Ranches,Fl.

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(Jeff Searle @ Feb. 22 2007,19:14)

QUOTE

(SunnyFl @ Feb. 22 2007,06:55)

QUOTE

(Jeff Searle @ Feb. 18 2007,20:06)

QUOTE
Yea.......I'm alittle new at this tropical stuff, so I just bought it.

Jeff

hehe

:D

SunnyFl,

     Your the only one that caught that. If they only KNEW! :D

Jeff

Jeff-

I knew too, I just wanted to see where you were going with it....

BS

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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Quote from page 338 on Tetrapanax papyriferus:

"They are exceptionally handsome treated as small palms in the landscape, and the silhouettes of the giant leaves are stunning against walls or other similar backgrounds."

Classic RLR

:)

Matt Bradford

"Manambe Lavaka"

Spring Valley, CA (8.5 miles inland from San Diego Bay)

10B on the hill (635 ft. elevation)

9B in the canyon (520 ft. elevation)

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Quote from page 338 on Tetrapanax papyriferus:

"They are exceptionally handsome treated as small palms in the landscape, and the silhouettes of the giant leaves are stunning against walls or other similar backgrounds."

Matty, thank you for posting that.  I'd forgotten it completely.  I always feel sad at the limitation by climate of the different palms I can grow but I've got the 'Steroidal Giant' Tetrapanax coming up like a weed and dearly love it.  One of my friends got leaves 6 feet across.  I'm working toward it.  Last summer mine were 5 feet across.  

Last summer I was sitting in the garden in the early evening talking to RLR -- I was on a little white plastic stool and I moved it around as we talked and described everything I was seeing.  We hung up and then I took pictures to send him.  He especially liked this one of the Tetrapanax leaves:

post-3-1172319205_thumb.jpg

Diane

East of Seattle & Lake Washington

in Kirkland

Zone 8

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I would have to put you to work.

Jeff -- Thank you!  I was smiling at that because I have 7 friends who own nurseries here (well, 6 now that Heronswood was closed) and I get so excited about their plants that customers I've never met before often go home with plants they didn't intend to buy.  I doubt that any of them had any regrets though.

I've studied the plants in the photos of your nursery -- I'd be levitating there like a big old butterfly!

Diane

East of Seattle & Lake Washington

in Kirkland

Zone 8

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  • 2 weeks later...

I caught that too Jeff. I went, ??? hmmm.

Thanks for that pic Diane. I just wish I would have gotten RLR's number from Richard back in May of 2005, but I thought I would have plenty of time to talk with him.

Zac

Zac  

Living to get back to Mexico

International Palm Society member since 2007

http://community.webshots.com/user/zacspics - My Webshots Gallery

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UPDATE!!!

   My book just arrived a few days ago. I took the chance and bought a used one, it came in, in mint condition. :)

   Diane, thank-you so much, all the credit goes to you.

   And to RLR........... :D you WILL, always live on, thanks!

Jeff

Searle Brothers Nursery Inc.

and The Rainforest Collection.

Southwest Ranches,Fl.

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I thought I would have plenty of time to talk with him.

Zac, I can't remember how old I was (I think between 16 and 18) when I had an unusual experience.  I saw myself at a fork in the road of my life and I knew if I went one way, I would look back in old age with deep regrets for what I'd missed.  I made a conscious decision at that time to be aware of what was important to me and to experience it, enjoy it, and appreciate it on a daily basis.  I took the path of no regrets.  It makes me sad that you have a regret about not talking to Bob, but you have time to choose the same path I did and avoid the feeling in the future.  

To make you feel a little better, RLR's favorite form of communication with most people was to log onto a forum and get into meaty discussions.  He enjoyed his calls from Rich and often passed along tales of your trips and adventures.

Diane, thank-you so much

Jeff, I'm glad you got the book.  Somehow the circumstances of my life and RLR's life threw us together at the exact moment he had the opportunity to write that book.  He didn't take it seriously, almost didn't mention it to me.  But when he did, I realized I could make him make it happen.  It was as easy as herding kittens from the East Coast to the West Coast!   :)

Diane

East of Seattle & Lake Washington

in Kirkland

Zone 8

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