Variegated Plants in Color Volume 1, 2, and 3
by Dr. Masato Yokoi and Yoshimichi Hirose

Buy Variegated Plants in Color Book by Yoshimichi Hirose and Dr. Masato Yoki at MrMaple.com . We purchased these rare variegated plant books during our most recent trip to Japan to make them available here in the United States. Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3 can be purchased as a complete set. Buy these rare Japanese out-of- print variegated plant books for yourself or your gardening friends.

Who doesn't love variegated plants? These rare plant books are full of color photographs of rare variegated plants in Japan and the United States. Each photo typically has the latin name of the plant, and a brief description or a sentence about the plants unique character in both English and Japanese. This can be seen in the second photograph, where we took a photo of a page that has variegated maples on it. These books also include Japanese words and their meanings as well as illustrations describing the different patterns of variegation that can be found in plants.

Volume One is mainly in this photo and brief description format but focuses on finding and acquiring variegated plants and their propagation. It has an in depth look at the health of variegated plants by the experienced authors. Here are the chapters:

Chapter 1 - The World of Variegated Plants

Chapter 2 - How to Discover and Acquire Variegated Plants

Chapter 3 - Cultivation and Propagation of Variegated Plants

Chapter 4 - Using and Appreciating Variegation Plants


Volume Two is about 2/3 in the format of photos with brief descriptions, but also has small write-ups by these famous plantsmen:

The Achievements of Lovers of Variegated Plants, and Their Duties by Yoshimichi Hirose

Koten Engei by Barry Yinger

A New Handicraft: Using Dried Variegated Plants to Make Lovely Wreaths by Mutsuko Saikai

Making Beautiful Pictures Framed with Dried Variegated Leaves by Fujiko Shitakamori

The Variegated Maples in Japan by Hisao Nakajima

The Appeal of Karatachibana by Yoshikazuk Takahashi

The History and Appeal of Yabukouji as Expressed in Literature by Mitsuru Taniguchi

Haran and Aoki by Houichi Aoki

My Encounter with Sekkoku by Toshirou Shimizu

Variegation in Heuchera and its Allies by Dan Heims

Variegated Hostas in America by Robert C. Olson

A Hosta Display Garden in Japan by Kenji Watanabe

My Experiences Discovering Variegated Hosta rectifolia in the Wild by Kimio Muroya

Propagation of Hosta in Tissue Culture by Clarence Falstad

The Value of Coloured Foliage in Ivy by Ronald Whitehouse
Variegated Plants: The Grief and Good Fortune that Derive from Their Beauty by Norio Ookura

Variegated Plants in the Tosa District, Japan by Shigetaka Yamaoka

Volume Three is mostly the format of photos with brief descriptions and also includes these short articles:

Importance of Prompt Naming of New Variegated Plants by Yoshimichi Hirose

The Meeting of old Friends by Ronald Houtman

The numerous porcelain arts by the them of Ivies collected by Stephen Taffler by Yoshimichi Hirose

The Variegated Succulents by Hiroshi Kobayashi

The Variegated Tropical Plants by Kunzou Nishihata

The Attraction of Kan-non-chiku

Enjoyment of the Cultivation of Variegated Hostas by Hiroshi Abe

Variegated Cultivars of Cactus by Tsutomu Satou

Variegated Vegetables in the Spotlight by Yoshimichi Hirose

Variegated Weeds by Yoshimichi Hirose

Don't wait too long to purchase these books as they are in limited supply. I don't expect for these books to last long.

These volumes of books contain not only maples, but nearly any plant you can think of.. And a variegated form. For the plant-a-holic, like ourselves, these books serve as a great way of knowing what plants are out there and what to be looking and asking for. For others these books are very entertaining and you can spend hours upon hours simply looking through all the color photographs and reading about each plant. There are

These books are slam packed with variegated plants and are fairly thick books:

Volume 1 : 296 pages
Volume 2: 343 pages
Volume 3: 280 pages

These books are by the Japanese publishing company Varie Nine Ltd are completely out of print. Dr. Yokoi, recently passed away. We purchased our copies from Yoshimichi Hirose. This is a complete set of Volumes 1, 2, and 3 of Variegated Plants In Color . Volumes 1 and 2 are by both Dr. Masato Yokoi and Yoshimichi Hirose. Volume 3 is by Yoshimichi Hirose only.

We were able to purchase a small amount of limited copies on our trip to Japan in October. As of right now they will only be available as a complete set.

These books are excellent gifts for gardeners for Christmas, birthdays, or any occasion.

Buy Variegated Plants in Color Book by Yoshimichi Hirose and Dr. Masato Yoki at MrMaple.com . We purchased these rare variegated plant books during our most recent trip to Japan to make them available here in the United States. Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3 can be purchased as a complete set. Buy these rare Japanese out-of- print variegated plant books for yourself or your gardening friends.