Product Description

Succulents, with their striking forms, unusual colors, and easy-care reputation, are becoming an increasingly important design element in many contemporary gardens. Whether planted en masse, as specimens in the garden, or featured in containers, they have much to offer landscapers and home gardeners. Until recently, the range of succulents available commercially was relatively limited, but nurseries and garden centers are responding to the demand, and more and more species and cultivars are now available. Succulents for Contemporary Gardens is a book for beginners, enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike, presenting old favorites along with an enticing range of less-common, more collectable examples of these intriguing plants. Descriptions and cultivation information are given for hundreds of species and cultivars in more than 60 genera---from Adenia to Yucca---helping gardeners to choose plants best suited to their design requirements and garden conditions.

Illustrated throughout with 350 color photographs, this book will inspire gardeners and succulent connoisseurs to seek out more of these wonderful plants.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #765130 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

From Booklist
Global warming, drought conditions, water rationing. With the environment in such a precarious state, what's a gardener to do? No need to throw in the trowel. Succulents can provide the perfect solution to some of garden design's most daunting challenges. From that veritable no-plant's land of dry, barren ground between sidewalk and foundation to lofty rooftop patios miles away from a convenient water source, there's sure to be a succulent suitable for nearly any garden environment. In this introductory guide to more than 60 genera and hundreds of species and cultivars, Cave showcases succulents' diverse forms, dramatic colors, and desirable characteristics. Starting with an overview of cultural requirements, propagation basics, and pest and disease controls, Cave goes on to profile the most popular succulents from adenia to yucca. Aimed at both the beginning gardener and the connoisseur, Cave's straightforward text is augmented by more than 350 striking color photographs that vividly depict the versatility of this often overlooked and underutilized plant category. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Lushly photographed, Succulents is a valuable resource for any San Diegan interested in drought-tolerant gardening."
—San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles, August 2003 (San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles )

"These sculptural plants are enjoying renewed popularity. You'll see why when you view the striking photographs in Succulents for the Contemporary Garden"
—Sunset, August 2003 (Sunset )

"This is a convenient and usable book for those that are knowledgeable about all types of succulents or even the beginner."
—National Gardener, September 2003 (National Gardener )

Detailed, easy-to-follow cultivation information. . . . This book is a winner, and it's fun to thumb through. -- Lisa Van Cleef, San Francisco Chronicle, January 15, 2003

Lushly photographed, Succulents is a valuable resource for any San Diegan interested in drought-tolerant gardening. San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles, August 2003 (San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles )

These sculptural plants are enjoying renewed popularity. You'll see why when you view the striking photographs in Succulents for the Contemporary Garden Sunset, August 2003 (Sunset )

This is a convenient and usable book for those that are knowledgeable about all types of succulents or even the beginner. National Gardener, September 2003 (National Gardener )

From the Inside Flap
Succulents, with their striking forms, unusual colors, and easy care reputation, are becoming an increasingly important design element in many contemporary gardens. Whether planted en masse, as specimens in the garden or featured in containers, they have much to offer landscapers and home gardeners. Until recently, the range of succulents available commercially was relatively limited, but nurseries and garden centers are responding to the demand, and more and more species and cultivars are now available.

Succulents for the Contemporary Garden is a book for beginners, enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike, presenting old favorites along with an enticing range of less-common, more collectable examples of these intriguing plants. Descriptions and cultivation information are given for hundreds of species and cultivars in more than 60 genera—from Adenia to Yucca—helping gardeners to choose plants best suited to their design requirements and garden conditions.

Illustrated throughout with 350 color photographs, this book will inspire gardners and succulent connoisseurs to seek out more of these wonderful plants.

Customer Reviews

Pretty but not a good reference book
This book is an extensive collection of nice pictures of over 350 different succulents. They are arranged in scientific name order. However the descriptions for each entry are just text describing the plant. There is not even basic information like the hardiness zone so you will know if the one you like will survive your winter. The text does not directly reference the picture location so you have to find the picture key somewhere on each page ("This page, left to right ..."). The index is really just a table of contents - common names are listed under the scientific name instead of having a separate entry ("Purple Emperor" is indexed as "Sedum, Purple Emperor"). Get this for the pictures then get The American Horticultural Society "A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants" for the reference data.

A Visual Feast for the Adventurous Gardener
Noted New Zealand garden photographer Yvonne Cave has done it again, with this extraordinarily beautiful book. There's something here for everyone, from novice to expert, from the familiar Desert Rose and Yucca to the exotic Lithops, which look like stones, or the "Bronze Sculpture" Kalanchoe. The stunning photos are accompanied by identifying text with basic cultivation information for hundreds of species. Those particularly interested in tropical succulents will find additional information in Tropical Ornamentals : A Guide, as well as in Ornamental Plants & Flowers of Tropical Mexico.

SUCCULENTS FOR THE COMTEMPORARY GARDEN
Easy to understand and very easy to apply info to my garden. Learned a lot about succulents.