Cacti Books

Designing with Succulents

Debra Lee Baldwin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great ideas! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I absolutely love this book. Besides the great pictures and information regarding the care of succulents it has given me some fantastic planting ideas! As an avid succulent and cacti collector I was looking for a book to help me integrate the two in my garden. The themed section of the book is my favorite. Among the many ideas it shows you how to have a ocean theme look to your garden. I am now putting together a reef themed planter.

Editorial Review:

Succulent plants offer dazzling possibilities for garden design and require only minimal maintenance to remain lush and alluring year round. Featuring the work of more than 50 professional garden designers and creative homeowners, this complete design compendium is as practical as it is inspirational. Lavishly illustrated with over 300 photographs, it gives design and cultivation basics for paths, borders, slopes, and containers; hundreds of succulent plant recommendations; and descriptions of 90 easy-care, drought-tolerant companion plants. Beginners and experienced designers, landscapers, and collectors alike will find what they need to visualize, create, and nurture the three-dimensional work of art that is the succulent garden.

Hardy Succulents: Tough Plants for Every Climate

Gwen Kelaidis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From agaves to ice plants, and from sedums to sempervivums, hardy succulent plants bring beauty, versatility, and intrigue to perennial gardens in every hardiness zone. No longer relegated to desert climates, succulents offer extraordinary color, texture, durability, and ease of care. It's no wonder succulents are some of the hottest plants to capture the attention of enthusiastic growers in all zones.

Hardy Succulents gives gardeners everything they need to know to select, grow, and maintain these dazzling, low-fuss plants. With step-by-step growing instructions, practical care tips, creative ideas for use, and stunning photographs from acclaimed garden photographer Saxon Holt, this book is as beautiful as it is practical — one that will appeal to novices and experienced gardeners alike.

Gwen Kelaidis, an avid horticulturist and garden designer, provides a comprehensive overview of these unusual beauties, including tips for purchasing, planting, weeding, and dividing. She encourages gardeners to consider the plants when searching for autumn color and explains how succulents can solve common, and confounding, garden problems.

Presented alongside Holt's captivating, cover-to-cover images, her insights are sure to inspire growers of all levels and climates. Readers will delight in succulents' unexpected colors — bronzes, grays, greens, and blues — as well as their distinct shapes.

The first book dedicated to bringing succulents to every North American hardiness zone, Hardy Succulents holds intriguing possibilities for gardeners looking for dramatic ways to make bold statements.

Complete Book of Cacti & Succulents

Terry Hewitt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Nice Book 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This is a nice book to have for the more experienced cactus and succulent growers. I do have to say this book has very colorful pictures of cactus and succulents, however, the specific growing needs for each species is rather short and limited. A beginner to this hobby may experience some difficulties with providing the specific growing conditions with this book for each species. I would certainly consider purchasing this book as a gift for the upcoming holidays, as it would make a nice gift.

Editorial Review:

The Complete Book of Cacti & Succulents features the history, cultivation, and imaginative use of more than 300 plants -- in step-by-step color stages. This is a feast of in-depth information and eye-catching photography. DK's new line of paperback titles combines all the qualities of its hardcovers with the advantages of the soft cover format. Each of these already popular books will now be available to a large new readership who will delight in the essential elements of every DK title: clarity, educational value, and visual appeal.

Cacti and Succulents: An Illustrated Guide to the Plants and their Cultivation (Crowood Aviation S.)

Graham Charles

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Beautiful Book 5 out of 5 stars.
21 of 26 people found this review helpful.

Great pictures. A lot of educational information regarding cultivation, display, pests & diseases, plant distinctions etc. A large selection of recommended species with detailed information about each.

Beautifully Written and Illustrated 5 out of 5 stars.
20 of 22 people found this review helpful.

The old adage never judge a book by its cover, fortunately does not apply with this offering. True, the cover will have anyone interested in the subject smacking their lips, but the content is just as good and the book is by Graham Charles, a well respected name in cacti circles.

The book certainly is not up there with the `Cactus Family' or the `Cactus Lexicon' and does not even try to compete with these expensive and truly comprehensive volumes but what it does it does well. It is not aimed at any specific section, i.e. those starting out in the hobby or the more experienced. It is simply a well written and well illustrated book, with many colored photographs to add emphasis to the informative text. It is worth a place in anyones bookcase.

Editorial Review:

An essential guide to cacti and other succulents, featuring 420 color photos and a wealth of information on the plants and their cultivation. Beautifully illustrated and highly accessible, this guide is both an instructive practical manual and a rich source of reference. More than 250 different species or genera and their natural habitats are profiled and illustrated. Topics include: the unique nature of succulents; their natural environment; history, classification, and nomenclature; watering, feeding, general care, and propagation; and pests and diseases. Lavishly illustrated, this is an indispensable guide for growers and enthusiasts.

 

Graham Charles is a National Cactus and Succulent Society judge and lecturer.

Cacti and Succulents (101 Essential Tips)

DK Publishing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great reference book for the a beginner 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent reference guide for those with little or no experience with cacti and succulents. If you are visually-oriented, you will apprecicate the vivid and colorful photos. This is a very simple and easy book to read....I would consider it to be a nice starter book.

A GOOD BOOK TO HAVE AROUND 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I was glad I added this one to my collection. It is a great book for beginners and it is also a good book to prove you can teach an old dog new tricks. I have been collecting cacti for years (indoor) and though I have gain some modest knowledge of the subject, I did find questions addressed in this book that I simply did not know. Each book on the subject has helped me add to my knowledge and this one is included in that group. I would particuarly recommend this one to the beginning grower/collector. It is a job well done.

Editorial Review:

Prepare to prune and propagate to cacti perfection with this fantastic pocket-sized guide. One hundred and one nuggets of practical information take you stage-by-stage towards a broad understanding of the care of succulents and their spiky partners.

The Cactus Family

Edward F. Anderson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Cacti have a very special fascination all their own. Like the brilliantly colored hummingbirds, the Cactaceae are creatures of the New World. Miniature spiny dwarf cacti less than an inch in diameter are hidden in the arid regions of North and South America; the majestic columns of the giant saguaro, Carnegiea gigantea, dominate the deserts of Arizona. Yet all these cacti, given time, offer the surprising paradox of brilliant flowers, their delicacy a striking contrast to the strong spines that keep the viewer at a respectful distance.

More than likely, cacti were among the gifts that Christopher Columbus presented on his return from the New World to Isabella, queen of Castile. The first reports of cultivation of cacti in Europe date back to about 1570. Somewhat later, a single plant of Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus, named after Otto von Kotzebue (1787-1846), the explorer, was sold immediately after its discovery to a nursery in Paris for a price many times exceeding the value of the plant's weight in gold. And the fascination continues -- cactus and succulent societies exist around the world. Despite the beauty and wonder of the cactus family, the last professional monograph of the plant was the 1919-1923 publication by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose.

In this new book, Anderson covers the family Cactaceae in an encyclopedic manner, addressing 125 genera and 1811 species. Descriptions are short but information-packed, and the book includes 1022 color photos. The introduction to each genus concentrates on the discovery of the cacti and the improvements in our understanding of them, in many cases as a result of relatively recent investigation. This makes the book a vivid case study of the science of plant taxonomy or plant systematics.

1008 color photos, 6 b/w photos, 3 drawings, 8 maps, 8 1/2 x 11"

Cactus: The most beautiful varieties and how to keep them healthy

Elizabeth Manke

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Prickly and frequently taking strange shapes, cacti often thrive when given minimal care, and sometimes languish when owners "nurse them to death." This handsomely illustrated book introduces plant growers to the basics of cactus care and cultivation, then presents an alphabetized, photo illustrated directory of roughly 50 varieties--from Acanthocalycium to Uebelmannia pectinifera. Only avid plant lovers need remember the scientific names. More practical for plant growers, and shown in stunning photographs, is the magnificent variety of cactus flowers that blossom from the fascinating shapes of these plants. In addition to the identifying photos, each plant profile includes information on original region of growth and growth period. Readers get instructions for care, propagation information, and the botanical designation for each cactus plant shown. Cactus enthusiasts will also find sidebar tips that cover everything from water, soil, and light needs to the origins of some of the more interesting cactus names. This remarkable book features more than 275 color photos, a glossary, a directory of American and Canadian cactus societies, supply sources, and a detailed index.

500 Cacti: Species and Varieties in Cultivation

Ken Preston-Mafham

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A visual reference to 500 cacti.

The cactus family includes more than 2,500 species of cacti, succulents, caudiciforms and euphorbs. Native to the Americas, they are at least 50 million years old and highly advanced in their evolution. Not all are desert plants. Some are found in the rainforest, where they enjoy the heavy rainfall and grow much more vigorously than their desert cousins. Many cacti are very popular with rock gardeners and houseplant enthusiasts.

This new book features 500 species representing all cactus groups. The cacti are arranged alphabetically by scientific genus, with an entire page devoted to each species. At-a-glance information includes size, distribution, spination, flower and flowering time, plus varieties and synonyms used. Detailed descriptions reveal the amazing adaptations cacti have made, such as:

• Stems with waterproof skin to store water
• Far-reaching, shallow root systems
• Leaves that are shed during a drought
• Spines toward off predators.

The author provides professional advice on growing these plants at home. Among the 500 color photographs that appear in the book are stunning shots of cacti in bloom.

500 Cacti is a useful reference for all who admire these long-living and distinctive plants.

(20080101)

Agaves, Yuccas, and Related Plants: A Gardener's Guide

Gary Irish, Mary F. Irish

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Fantastic Book 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

This is the book to have if you are interested in growing agaves, and yuccas particularly if you have an interest in growing them as landscape plants and want to know how hardy a particular species is likely to be. It has rapidly become the Bible for growers of these plants.

Agaves, Yuccas, and Related Plants: A Gardener's Guide 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

A complete description, history, guide and care to this plant group. Not a coffee table book for sure but very informative for the serious gardener.

Editorial Review:

Writing for gardeners who need specific information on these wonderful plants, Mary and Gary Irish provide detailed guidance on care, cultivation, and gardening uses. In addition, amateur naturalists will be pleased to note that the botanical history of the plants is given a succinct overview; complete keys are provided to help identify agaves and yuccas relying on foliage and growth form. Sixty-five species of agaves and twenty-five species of yuccas are profiled, together with information on natural habitat and garden care. Selected plants from nine other genera also are described. More than 100 color photographs and 18 drawings complement the text.

Crazy About Cacti and Succulents (Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guide)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Very Basic Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is a very nice book, lot's of nice pictures even though it is very basic.

Editorial Review:

Cacti and succulents are among the most bizarre and beautiful plants a gardener can grow—and included here are some of the most remarkable of them all: stapeliads and ceropegias. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has brought together master gardeners from across the country, who show how easy it is to cultivate a collection of cacti and succulents on a windowsill or under artificial lights. They also introduce varieties that are hardy enough to grow outside in most climates. There are chapters on medicinal plants and succulent bonsai, plus advice on how experts groom their plants for competition. Finally, readers can learn how to help save the cacti and succulents that are threatened with extinction in the wild.