Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1278577 in Books
• Published on: 1997
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Synopsis
Based on the author's 30-year study with over 50,000 plants, "The Complete Book of Cacti and Succulents" offers a photographic A-Z which profiles more than 300 plants, with practical advice for propagating and cultivating them and imaginative ideas for display. The expert advice, supported by step-by-step photographs, covers subjects ranging from handling spiky plants to identifying pests and diseases. Catering both to enthusiastic beginners and ardent cactophiles around the world, this should be a useful sourcebook of plant species advice, ideas and inspiration.

Customer Reviews

Not Complete, But Very Good
The book is very well produced and the photography is very good. The author is well known and respected in Cacti circles and the book reflects his knowledge and status. The first section relates to the history and discovery of cacti and shows some amazing photographs of cacti in their habitat. It goes on to show how best to display your cacti in suitable containers and then a chapter on the differing shapes of the plants and their flowers The plant catalogue itself does not show too many of the different genera, but the popular ones are there and what it does do is show photographs of a number of species within a certain genera and this appeals to me. Too many books try to over-reach themselves and try to cram in as many genera as possible, showing a photograph of one species and very short descriptions of one or two other species. In this book the descriptions of each plant give the average height, flower colour etc. and also the min. temp. each plant will stand. The book shares space equally between true cacti and succulents and they are presented separately which makes the book layout clean and easily readable. At the end of the book are several pages on plant selection in sections, i.e. Plants for beginners; Plants for the Greenhouse; Free Flowering plants etc. This is another plus. One criticism I have is that many of the plants are photographed from directly overhead, this may be aesthetically pleasing, but does not give a true reflection of the size and shape of the plant and is not really my cup of tea. But this is a small moan about what is otherwise an excellent book. At this price the book is a good buy and there is something for everyone interested in the care of these unusual plants. I am happy to have this book in my collection.

New to Cacti
Six months ago I knew nothing about cacti, apart from the fact that they had spines. Then I found this book. Coffee table size, beautifully illustrated, and packed with information on how to look after a new plant how to display, and most importantly how not to kill with kindness. 176 pages with the latin and common name. This is the first book I go to when I find a prickily plant that I am tempted to buy.