John J. Bagnasco

This book begins by defining the difference between cactuses and succulents. In essence: all cactuses are succulents, but not all succulents are cactuses. Most of the book focuses on succulents that are not cactuses.

The authors tell you a lot about the care and feeding of succulents. The issue of water is especially important. As the authors explain, “Succulent roots have adapted to optimize the uptake of water when it becomes available.” This feature works great if your succulents are planted outside, but poses problems when you bring them inside, since they do not have the ability to dispose of excess moisture, and soggy roots will lead to root rot. They have suggestions on how to fight this problem, including the use of fast-draining soils, and practical tips for seeing if the plant needs water or not, using simple stones or even chopsticks!

The bulk of the book is devoted to color pictures and descriptions of “100 Top Choices of Cactuses and Succulents.” For each entry they provide brief info on the family, origin, culture, cold hardiness, how it is propagated (e.g., stem cuttings, seed, or offsets for example), and bloom time if applicable. Then there is a paragraph of narrative that gives you more information that might influence your choice and care of that plant. For example, is it hardy enough to survive outside? How do its leaves and flowers change over time? Keep the soil drier than usual for the Bishop’s Cap! (Ach, I’ve killed three of them!). Would the plant do better on a windowsill, or under grow lights, or in a basket as a filler? And so on.

I have found this book very useful, and especially appreciate that it includes information on many speciality succulents not often covered in basic guides but often seen in stores.… (plus d'informations)