Happy Cactus: Cacti, Succulents, and More

by John Pilbeam

In-depth profiles, care tips, and display inspiration for more than 50 popular cactus and succulent varieties.

Your cactus might be surviving, but is it happy? There's so much more to these little green plants than just keeping them alive. Get right to the point with practical advice from potting to propagating. Unearth the secrets of different cacti and succulents, with profiles on more than 50 popular varieties—from the cute, flowering pincushion cactus to the wacky prickly pear, discover what makes your plant unique and how it might behave when treated with a little bit of love. Find out where to put it, when to water it, what to feed it, what to look out for, and how to encourage its distinctive traits, from flower stalks to fast growth. Find inspiration for creating a showstopping cactus display.

Whether you're seeking a stylish houseplant for your apartment but struggling to keep more temperamental plants alive, or you're a green-fingered cactus enthusiast determined to get your precious plant to grow and flower this year, Happy Cactus is here to answer all your questions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Plants, Nature

144 pages, Hardcover

Published May 15, 2018

Reviews

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have this vague memory of my Dad buying me my first cactus over 50 years ago, and I kept it in my Dad's greenhouse. This cactus grew huge over the years and was by the time I was 11 or 12 over a metre high. Unfortunately at that point, I accidentally fell into it, ouch. How many hundreds of splinters I had I do not know, but I do know that the neighbours called around because of the screams (ouch again).

Now, all these years later, I find I am attracted to cacti and succulents again, and have started a small collection. This book is an excellent introduction to anyone who is starting out in the cactus world. It has some great pictures, some great information and I am finding it really useful.

[Kacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reference book you'll actually enjoy. Like a graphic novel and reference book had a baby. I'll probably be buying this one

[Gauri · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not really a comprehensive guide on succulents, but it was really pretty to look at. I was kind of excited to read this, because it seemed like a classic DK Encyclopedia, chock full of information and lessons, but for adults. That wasn't really the case. It pretty much went over basic care for succulents and some myths surrounding them. And then they went over one succulent at a time giving basic information on how to care for it and things to watch out for. The amount of succulents they featured also wasn't complete at all. It just wasn't really a real, informational book. Not bad. But not really a book, as much as it is something like a printed out article I'd find on a website.

[jessica ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m trying to step up my plant mom game and thought this was the perfect place to start! It lacked a bit of information, but I learned so much with what was provided. Plus the photos and page layouts were so pretty to look at!

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A picture book for the succulent-curious. I happily flipped through the pages, noting care tips for plants I already have, and names of plants I've long since killed and would like to have another go at. I hope to find them (living stones, baby's toes, plover's eggs, string of buttons, etc) again someday.

A little ways through, though, I started to wonder about the sustainability factor of these exotic plants. How are they propagated and by whom? Under what conditions? Are any of them being poached and sold to unsuspecting, novelty- obsessed Americans? Are any of them endangered in their natural habitats? I started to wonder all these things and decided I ought to look into this further before buying them.

[vicki honeyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little book for cactus and succulent lovers. It's much more than a how-to: from plant identification and descriptions using large color photos, to all the care each individual plant needs, you'd be hard-pressed to not become a proud cactus parent. Succinct details for each variety include where to put me, when to water me, how to position me, how to share me, how to repot me, how to propagate me, how to feed me, and how to get me to flower. I appreciate the book's easy-to-read descriptions and details that make it clear ti help and identify plants. I consider it my succulent bible!

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Happy Cactus provides a good overview of basic propagation and care of select succulents. It covers basics such as how to choose a pot, repotting, how often to water, how to treat pests and root rot. While related plants are near each other in the book, I would like to have seen an overall higher-level taxonomic grouping. For example, rather than listing several types of Aloes, I would have learned more if the author went into greater depth on Aloes as a group and then differentiated the needs of the different plants. Just listing a few select Echevarias out of many didn’t really help me learn more about the specifics of Echeveria in general. Further, if a novice has a succulent that they want to identify and better learn its needs and it wasn’t included within these pages, they are out of luck with Happy Cactus. I also would like to have seen some scientific background included in Happy Cactus. Again, Happy Cactus provides a good overview on succulents and cacti, but does not provide depth about any topic it covers. This book could be good, easy to follow guide for children.

Thank you to NetGalley and DK Publishing for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Happy Cactus" is a gardening book about growing cacti and succulents as houseplants. The book started by talking about choosing a pot and soil, how much sunlight, fertilizer, and water they need, how to repot or propagate them, and dealing with potential pests. Then they provided specific details for about 46 types of cacti and succulents (with sidebars on related plants). These in-depth pages talked about characteristics of the plants (like height, potential pests, how fast it grows, and spines) and care instructions (how much sunlight it needs, when to fertilize and water, plus repotting, propagating, and flowering tips).

They talked about cacti that are only a few inches tall to those that can grow several feet tall. They talked about plants that have spines and those that don't. They even talked about cacti that are grown in a hanging pot. This book is a fun way to learn more about these plants and potentially find some that would suit your house. The only thing they don't really cover is how to find these plants, as some aren't going to be in your local stores.

I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.

[Gael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and informative book about various cacti & succulents! This is more of a reference book than a read cover-to-cover book, yet I did just that because I wanted to get a sense for my options before buying more cacti/succulents, and it was fun to see all the photos. I learned some basics I never knew before (like almost all of them should not be watered in the winter when they are in their hibernation stage!), maybe even discovered how I killed all my past plants (RIP).

Could I have found all of this information on the internet for free? Absolutely.
Do I want to wade through endless websites & ads just to identify a plant, figure out what plant to buy, or simply get some quick care tips? No, not really.
Do print outs from the internet look super cute sitting on my coffee table? Of course not. 😜🌵

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed and yet not overwhelming. I liked all the illustrations that were included and the layout for each of the pages for the individual plant bios.
I do wish more plant books would talk about care for these plants in Florida (and similar climate) but a lot of the advice for winter care was "dont water in winter for cooler climates" and this is what would result in the flowering. It was odd when some of these came from areas on the same latitude as Florida and I wish it would have explained the natural climate more.
There were definitely a couple of succulents that I now want and I'll be rereading those pages before I get them.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This handy little book is very well laid out and easy to use. Each plant has a double page spread with a large photo for identification and little bubbles on the following topics: Position me, water me, help me flower, share me, repot me, feed me. There's also information on where the plant comes from, how it grows and how big it is likely to get. There are also other sections of the book with information about cacti and succulents in general. The book is easy to use and would be suitable for everyone from beginners to experienced gardeners.

[Free ARC from Edelweiss+]

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book just happened to coincide with the OKC Cactus and Succulent Show and Sale that I attended last weekend. I was amazed at the number and variety of plants that I was able to see and purchase. Returning home, I was able to use this guide to select the appropriate pot, soil and position for each of my purchases. Each of the book's featured plants were highlighted with information on repotting, sharing, watering, feeding, pest control and help with flowering. A nice book for the beginner! (that's me)

[Rev · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already have a few succulents, but no cactuses. The care requirements seem to be relatively similar, which means I can get some cactuses and attempt to grow them with a little more confidence than before. I didn't realize some of the species i had been considering could grow so large! Very good overview. The information is given in an easy to understand way as well, and I liked how different species were displayed alongside other varieties they're related to!

[Diana Keener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Handy guide for choosing and caring for cacti and succulents. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. This book follows the normal DK formula of great photos and concise, useful information. It covers all the basics you need to know to successfully grow these charming plants. I especially liked that it gives cultural care for many different varieties.

[Kbg503 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely cute layout that makes learning easier about when to water, feed, and re-pot, how much sun exposure it needs, and if the one you have isn't profiled, another species may be shown. The pictures are great, especially what the flower looks like. Overall, the book makes you want to experience them more, and even if you've killed a couple, you learn from your mistakes.

[anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

such a cute little book! i loved the pictures and helpful tips for each succulent. though, it is a bit overwhelming because i still don't know which cacti/succulents to buy and grow.

a good starting point if you don't know ANYTHING about cacti, but not the best book if you're looking for recommendations.

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little book and very helpful. Covers a wide array of different succulents and cacti. My only complaint was that in some of the pictures of plants in bloom, the flowers are real, but in others, they are clearly (very nice) illustrations that are overlaid on the image. It felt kind of weird, and I didn't like the effect.

[Monica Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have many succulents. I was hoping to get some insight into their care, and for the most part, I have been doing things correctly. But now I have been introduced to so many more! Should I purchase more? Should I give up on some? I can't have too many plants, can I? But I do live in an area where we get harsh winters. This does not help the succulents, but I have purchased some grow lights...

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for beginners. Lots of good info for care: how to repot, water, feed, how much sunlight, types of soil to use etc. The pictures are fun and easy to recognize. Something for anyone looking to care for their succulents & cacti!

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very similar to How Not To Kill Your Houseplant- a good introduction for beginners, that's fun to look through and have around, but does not give very in-depth instructions on any specific plants. I enjoy the format though, so four stars from me. I want to buy a copy of this one.

[Rosa Schwank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has some great tips and tricks for taking care of your cacti friends, just wish it covered more species. I was hoping to identify all my cacti/succulents, but I could only find a couple of them in this book.

[Leigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I purchased half a dozen Cacti and succulents which did well for a year. I then got this book to try and look after them a little better. Following the instructions they all flourished for a while then two died.

[Jamie Feazell-Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note to self: Source a monkey tail.

[Joanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but I could have used a bit more information on what to look for when your plant ISN’T happy. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Debbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful!

[Aliasger Talib · Rating 4 out of 5]

good fast reading, nice pictures....

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it gave a first good overview at how to take care of cacti and succulents. Had beautiful illustrations to join with the information, and would definitely recommend to a friend.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the illustrations and clear explanation for care depending on the type of plant. A great reference on how to grow happy cactus.

[Mojoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a gift from my mom and honestly... she knows me too well. It's a perfect add to my gardening library.

[Sofia Araya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The pictures are beautiful. All visuals are very informative and helpful.
Great for anyone that wants to learn more about cacti, succulents, and how to care for them.