American Garden Guides: Dry Climate Gardening with Succulents

I needed ideas for dry gardening and pictures of creative approaches...this is it! A definite great read.

More and more people are becoming interested in succulents due to their largely drought tolerant natures and their definite fire prevention advantages. If you are new to succulents and had only one book to choose this should be it. Even if you know quite a bit about succulents this book could still be of value. It's that good. What the beautiful cover seems to allude to, the book itself totally delivers. The amount of information provided in such a small book is gratifying. It's only 224 pages, but you are unlikey to find this many varieties of succulents pictured in such exquisite detail even in books twice this size. And there aren't simply specimen pictures. Throughout the book there are pictures of the plants arranged in garden settings to give the gardener an idea of how these plants can be combined to create a truly magical garden. But don't think that DCGWS is just pictures. The written information it provides is every bit as satisfying as the pictures. It is such a complete book on the subject of succulents with respect to their background, the techniques you need to know to handle them safely, their design potential in the garden, and their use in special conditions that unless you want to become an expert on the subject you may never need to buy another book on succulents once you own it.

Plant growth habit and culture notes are all too rare in succulent and cacti volumes. This expertly assembled book captures the succulent plants at their optimum phase and accurately records botanical names and growth requirements. I also utilize to accurately identify plants that I use to create living succulent wreaths. The section of 'Bringing the Desert Indoors' is a welcome invitation to indoor gardeners every where to enjoy these sculptural beauties year around.

One of few books dealing with gardening in the dry southwestern climates. Most of the book is devoted to "Plant Selector" which describes the plants, hardiness, cultivation needs, etc. Other sections deal with "Garden Design", "Techniques" (cultivation etc.), and, " Special Conditions." If you have one book on succulent gardening, this should be it.