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In the last 10 years, the publishing of houseplant books has boomed; this is one of the best. The many selections are skillfully described in both text and photos. Each entry, and the extensive introduction (100 pages!), provide all the details you\u2019ll need. Lighting, temperature, feeding, water, soil or substrate are precisely and easily explained. It\u2019s hard to go wrong.<\/p>\n
Other related topics are introduced, including growing cacti outside, public gardens to visit for seeing large collections, and places where plants grow in the wild. This last section is followed by insights on the seriousness of poaching; many of these selections are endangered.<\/p>\n
This is more than just a technical manual. Gerrard-Jones easily shares her enthusiasm, and profiles several other avid growers. One is Tyler Thrasher, whose collection in Oklahoma numbers in the thousands, and has good advice for any plant parent: \u201cBe forgiving when you lose a plant.\u201d Mellie Lewis has the UK\u2019s National Collection of the tender succulent Aeonium.<\/em> Her advice on watering? \u201cFollow the three Ds: drench, drain, dry.\u201d<\/p>\n One lesson I learned is the distinction between sun cacti and forest cacti, the latter including the popular Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera<\/em> species and hybrids). A venerable example is \u201cGranny\u201d, an 80-year-old, four-foot-wide centerpiece passed down to Sara Blanchard in Vermont from her grandmother. From December to May it is covered in fuchsia-colored flowers.<\/p>\n I can relate. I also have a\u00a0 Schlumbergera<\/em>\u00a0passed down from my mother. Not quite as large as \u201cGranny\u201d, but still vigorous and equally cherished.<\/p>\n Reviewed by Brian Thompson<\/p>\n Excerpted from\u00a0The Leaflet<\/em>, Volume 12, Issue 12, December 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In my childhood home, we had a window seat off the living room. But it wasn\u2019t for sitting. Instead, it displayed my mother\u2019s beloved cacti collection. Facing south, the lighting was perfect and the plants thrived. As an adult, my houseplant collection has very few cacti, but I learned early the value of these plants and other succulents in an indoor garden. Sound interesting? The new book Cacti and Succulents by Sarah Gerrard-Jones will help you get started or make…<\/p>\n