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The Gardener's Guide to Cactus: The 100 Best Paddles, Barrels, Columns, and Globes
“Gardeners new and old will close this book with an arsenal of ideas on how to take their cactus cultivation to a new level.” — Terrain
The Gardener’s Guide to Cactus reveals how easy, hardy, and rewarding cactus can be for home gardeners. Succulent plant expert Scott Calhoun picks 100 of the best cactus available and shows how they can make striking additions to your garden. Information includes advice on planting and care, tips for growing in containers, and details on identify and avoiding pests. Whether you want striking form, gorgeous flowers, or a low-maintenance plant for a spot that needs little or no supplementary water, you’ll find it in this friendly, informative, and eye-catching guide.
The Gardener’s Guide to Cactus reveals how easy, hardy, and rewarding cactus can be for home gardeners. Succulent plant expert Scott Calhoun picks 100 of the best cactus available and shows how they can make striking additions to your garden. Information includes advice on planting and care, tips for growing in containers, and details on identify and avoiding pests. Whether you want striking form, gorgeous flowers, or a low-maintenance plant for a spot that needs little or no supplementary water, you’ll find it in this friendly, informative, and eye-catching guide.
227 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
14 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Scott Calhoun
7 books11 followersScott Calhoun explores backroads and backcountry in search of plants, gardens, architecture and food. Scott has writen five critically aclaimed gardening books. His first book, Yard Full of Sun, received the 2006 American Horticultural Society Book Award; his second title, Chasing Wildflowers, was awarded the Garden Writers Association 2008 Silver Book Award. Scott’s most recent titles include: Designer Plant Combinations; The Hot Garden; and Hot Pots. Scott is a Contributing Editor to Horticulture magazine, writes a monthly garden column for Sunset magazine and freelances for numerous print publications including, American Gardener, Fine Gardening, and Wildflower. Formerly the General Manager of Civano Nusery, Scott is now the principal of Zona Gardens, LLC. Based in Tucson, Arizona, Scott designs gardens, writes, and lectures across the United States. Catch up with Scott at www.zonagardens.com.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 3, 2018
5 Stars
Excellent resource that covered some notable cactus. Information was clearly presented with further resources well noted. The pictures were fantastic.
Excellent resource that covered some notable cactus. Information was clearly presented with further resources well noted. The pictures were fantastic.
March 23, 2021
Loved this book
Interesting, practical and easy to read. 5 stars!! I love my cacti babies and found it helpful!! Loved this book
Interesting, practical and easy to read. 5 stars!! I love my cacti babies and found it helpful!! Loved this book
January 8, 2013
Cactus is one of those categories of plant that is either hated or adored. One either shuns cactus altogether or turns into a cactus nut, acquiring as many species as possible, filling one’s garden with spiny specimens, and building greenhouses (always more than one) to house freeze-tender collections. The average gardener, unless he belongs to the local cactus society or reads tomes written for the enthusiast-collector, may feel decidedly ignorant about these intriguing, dangerous-looking plants. And unless you live in the desert Southwest, your local garden center is likely no help either. You may find windowsill-sized specimens in the houseplant section, but they’re often labeled simply “Cactus,” with no other identifying or care information.
Arizona plantsman, garden designer, and writer Scott Calhoun seeks to bridge this gap between cactus know-nothings and aficionados with his new book, The Gardener’s Guide to Cactus. Categorizing cactus by shape simplifies the organization of his book, making it newbie-friendly, and tacitly acknowledges that the architectural form of these unusual-looking plants is a large part of their appeal. I mean, what gardener wouldn’t want a few globes or columns or Mickey Mouse-eared plants after seeing how much structure and charisma they lend to even the softest, leafiest garden?
Calhoun has the advantage of living in a cactus-hospitable climate, and certainly the most charismatic ones can be grown in the ground only in frost-free (or nearly so) climates. But he points out that even temperate-climate gardeners can grow cactus in pots provided they’re given winter protection. And many cactus species are surprisingly cold-hardy. Opuntia, commonly known as prickly pear, for example, is found naturally throughout the country, and cactus are native to every state in the continental U.S. except for Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, says Calhoun.
His keenly descriptive and often humorous writing style makes all of his books a pleasure to read, and this one is no exception. Describing Ferocactus emoryi subsp. rectispinus, he observes, “The spines of the Baja punk rock barrel…are as straight and gravity defying as a super-glued Mohawk hairdo….[T]he spine length is variable—ranging from long to “whoa daddy….” Each of his top 100 cactus picks is given a full page of description, including mature size, hardiness zone, flowering season, and, helpfully, design suggestions for using it in the garden, plus a color photo. Certain plants are given two-page prominence, with an extra photo of fruit or flower or some other special attribute.
If his beautiful photos aren’t enough of a sell (and they are), Calhoun makes the case for cactus by appealing to our senses of smell, taste, and even touch: “[I]f your first thought about growing cactus is ‘ouch’—this book is designed to get you past that. Imagine cactus flowers heavily scented of honey and chocolate; a hedgehog species with fruit that tastes like strawberries; and a lumpy, thornless, lime-green column whose skin feels like melted wax.” With features like those, I’m already sold on trying a few more cactus in my garden.
Arizona plantsman, garden designer, and writer Scott Calhoun seeks to bridge this gap between cactus know-nothings and aficionados with his new book, The Gardener’s Guide to Cactus. Categorizing cactus by shape simplifies the organization of his book, making it newbie-friendly, and tacitly acknowledges that the architectural form of these unusual-looking plants is a large part of their appeal. I mean, what gardener wouldn’t want a few globes or columns or Mickey Mouse-eared plants after seeing how much structure and charisma they lend to even the softest, leafiest garden?
Calhoun has the advantage of living in a cactus-hospitable climate, and certainly the most charismatic ones can be grown in the ground only in frost-free (or nearly so) climates. But he points out that even temperate-climate gardeners can grow cactus in pots provided they’re given winter protection. And many cactus species are surprisingly cold-hardy. Opuntia, commonly known as prickly pear, for example, is found naturally throughout the country, and cactus are native to every state in the continental U.S. except for Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, says Calhoun.
His keenly descriptive and often humorous writing style makes all of his books a pleasure to read, and this one is no exception. Describing Ferocactus emoryi subsp. rectispinus, he observes, “The spines of the Baja punk rock barrel…are as straight and gravity defying as a super-glued Mohawk hairdo….[T]he spine length is variable—ranging from long to “whoa daddy….” Each of his top 100 cactus picks is given a full page of description, including mature size, hardiness zone, flowering season, and, helpfully, design suggestions for using it in the garden, plus a color photo. Certain plants are given two-page prominence, with an extra photo of fruit or flower or some other special attribute.
If his beautiful photos aren’t enough of a sell (and they are), Calhoun makes the case for cactus by appealing to our senses of smell, taste, and even touch: “[I]f your first thought about growing cactus is ‘ouch’—this book is designed to get you past that. Imagine cactus flowers heavily scented of honey and chocolate; a hedgehog species with fruit that tastes like strawberries; and a lumpy, thornless, lime-green column whose skin feels like melted wax.” With features like those, I’m already sold on trying a few more cactus in my garden.
August 9, 2015
Disappointing. I was expecting to find cactus care and tips on how to diagnose problems, what soils to use for different climates, flowering/fruiting habits, flower colours, cactus ID, etc. I got none of these. There are only a few pages dedicated to very general cactus care. None addressed cactus issues (e.g. reddening of cactus bodies). I also couldn't find one of my cactus species inside, so I still don't know what kind of cactus it is. Instead, the book is more like an ID book for different cactus species. If you're looking for a cactus care book, this is not that at all.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews