Thank You to Netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A very detailed and exhaustive study of sempervivums. Gorgeous pictures that make me want to go out and take my gardening one first step further, It has detailed information on the care and maintaining of sempervivums, as well as propagation and varietal information. It was an absolute joy to read because I am already nuts for these plants. I would recommend it to serious die-hard garden nerds so get out there and propagate!

This is a very detailed study of Sempervivum - from its history to breeder of today. There is a very large section on all the species unfortunately, I would have like a lot more photographs of the plants described., although it probably would have prohibitive as there are a lot of types and hybrids.
The information is interesting such as the fact that they are not dessert plants but have alpine origin, and there is a lot of other information on growing, propagating and care which is interesting. A very good book for people who are really into Sempervivum

I am not a scientist or a plant breeder, yet I found this book fascinating. The author, who has a PhD in Botany with a specialty in genetics has a wonderful writing style that makes all the detail so easy to understand – a superb explanation of a personal passion rather than a scholarly tome. I chuckled at the comment: “nothing with pollen is safe in my hands”

The first section deals with a explanation of sempervivums and their origin. It then provides general information on growing and using semps in the garden and in containers as well as a yearly calendar for culture. A later chapter deals with pests and diseases – all very useful for gardeners of any level.

The very detailed information on sempervivium species (with information on the various sections within the species including origin, form and ideal conditions for growing) and a superb listing, with plenty of photos, of recommended cultivars (listed according to colour groupings) is a real feast for anyone who enjoys semps and is what makes this book superb. He notes that he is biased towards cultivars available in the USA, but for a European gardener, I found plenty of references to plants and nurserymen in Europe to keep me happy.

Thereafter a range of propagation methods are clearly described and explained, including discussion on propagation from offsets, leaf and seed propagation and tissue culture. I’ve never attempted to hybridize my own plants, but I really enjoyed reading this section – with excellent information on setting up a breeding project to create new hybrids. The comments on characteristics used in evaluating seedlings in the section on hybridizing is useful not only for commercial breeders, but will certainly help me in the selection of plants when I go to plant fairs.

Each chapter has references, and a superb bibliography includes a short comment on each source, which makes for useful further reading. Finally, there is a list of people all over the world who have contributed to the development of semps – including groups and organisations

This would be an excellent book for plant breeders, but as a backyard gardener, I loved it!