Cacti & Succulents

Rating:
Summary: Good to look at but flawed in content.
Review: Although a well-organized and generally informative book, I believe it suffered greatly in its translation from German to English. I found the tips on cultivation to be thoroughly confusing, with many ambiguous terms such as "airy" and "under glass" and significant amounts of inconsistent information. My preference is to see familiar phrases such as "bright, indirect light" or "partial shade" used to describe growth requirements, instead of"..sunny, not in the full sun; if need be, in half-shade." This would have helped ease part of my quandary and made it easier to understand exactly what the author intended. The best features of this book were the numerous and excellant pictures of the various genera of cacti and succulents, and the inclusion of tables describing the characteristics of species that were not pictured. However, if a beginner wants to buy only one reference guide on cacti and succulents I wouldn't recommend this one, there are better books available for about the same price.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful job
Review: This book gives a comprehensive overview of the more important species of cacti and succulents. The photographs are beautiful and the information content is superb. For cacti and succulent lovers/keepers, the author gives very helpful advice on their care and maintenance. In addition, he gives a short discussion at the beginning on the evolution of cacti and succulents. The myriads of different shapes taken on by these plants are a constant source of amazement, for they can be highly symmetric as well as twisted and deformed. The photographs in the book are a marvelous example of this variety.

A short dictionary of terms is inserted at the beginning of the book for the beginner who is approaching cacti for the first time. The botanical names are given for each entry and the author gives recommendations on the cacti that bloom the easiest. A section on propagation and grafting is also included in the book.

A very delightful book on a class of plants that are intriguing in every way.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful book which will provide joy and utility.
Review: This book is beautifully illustrated, and contains a wealth of useful information to those learning to grow cacti. Mr. Hecht's minimum temperatures run well above what I think are correct, but safety is good idea for the novice. I highly recommend this book.