Product Description

Spiky, smooth, round, long or thin, cacti and succulents come in all shapes and sizes. The purpose of this book is to help you enjoy and care for your plants, whether you are growing them for their flowers or just to delight in their bizarre forms. A thorough introduction outlines their natural habitats, as well as giving you a crash course in botany and classification. There are planting ideas, from growing them in grand outdoor jardinieres to pretty painted pots on a kitchen windowsill. The plant directory lists over 400 varieties of cacti and succulents, alphabetically organized by genus. Photographs of the plants enable easy identification, and information is given on ideal growing conditions and habit.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #676446 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-28
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

About the Author
Miles Anderson is a collector of cacti and succulent plants. He owns and runs the Miles' to Go cacti and succulent nursery in Tuson, Arizona. www.miles2go.com Terry Hewitt, consultant editor, has been a collector of cacti and succulent plants for the past 40 yrs; for over 25 of those he has been growing them commercially at Holly Gate Cactus Nursery in Sussex, England. His cactus garden has been featured on TV and radio and has appeared in various gardening magazines. A lecturer and writer, Terry has contributed to many articles and books. www.holygatecactus.co.uk

Customer Reviews

a reasonable book
I bought this book as a total beginner to cacti and succulents and was hoping to find a book to get me started. It did just that but was not as useful as I would've liked. Much of the book (at least the first half) is dedicated to short descriptions of the main genus of cacti and succulents, while very interesting it is of little use in trying to identify your plants as it is far too general. its best used in giving you ideas on which types to cacti and succulents you might be interested in growing.

The very beginning of the book is about design of cacti gardens etc. and was of no interest to me at this point in time. I was more concerned with growing and caring for them which is where the latter part of the book comes in. Covering watering, repotting, propigation and pest control I found this part of the book very useful, but must say that I have found far more comprehensive information on my specific succulents by searching the web and finding local cacti clubs whose members can offer far more detailed information on your plants than you will get from a wide ranging book such as this.

Good All Round Book
This book is written by two of the most respected names in cacti circles, Miles Anderson and Terry Hewitt. Miles has his own cacti nursery in the United States and is always ready to answer queries, whether it be about his nursery, his books or succulents in general.

The book deals with everything from bowl gardens, usually hated by serious cacti collectors, but they do have their place and can be very attractive in the right situation. The important thing is the book tells you how to plant one correctly and what species will go well together. It then gives a general review on some of the most popular cacti and other succulents and their needs, i.e. correct temp., size they can attain, the best compost to use etc.

There is plenty of information on watering techniques, propagation from seed, offsets and grafting. I fact you can find most things you need to know to keep your plants healthy and some of the photographs are stunning. it certainly does not give information on every species you are likley to come across, but that is not what the book sets out to do. For that kind of information you would need the Cactus Lexicon or The Cactus Family, both costing well over £50.