Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, Frances Lincoln for accepting my request to read and review Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Cacti and Succulents.

Published: 04/11/23

"The Art and Science to Grow with Confidence."

The cover blurb above says it all. Whether you are a gardener, beginner, enthusiast or interested in the science, this book has everyone covered equally.

The pictures spell out what you are getting into. Desert plants are shown. There are potted plants. Throughout the book, there are growing instructions. Finally, should you be interested in specific cacti or succulents, there is an index.

I had the Kindle version. While reading, I wanted to flip, mark and tab pages. At close to 150 pages this may be a bit heavy or awkward, but I see myself using this as a coffee table book. I would gift this.

This was an excellent read for the one household plant type that I struggle with keeping alive. It was informative and extremely helpful. I look forward to seeing how much better off I am at keeping this plant life thriving. The handling guides was very helpful as was the repotting. Great read.

Received as a free ARC from NetGalley and publisher.

I love cacti and succulents and this book did not disappoint. It was very informative and I spent hours reading it and looking at all the plant information and pictures. It contained information from where the pants originated, soil and light conditions throughout the seasons, fertilizer and watering schedules, similar plants, propagating, re-potting, and diseases affecting the plants. The projects featured in the book were for all skill levels and gave step by step instructions with photographs. I already found a few that I would like to do. This is book I will reread and refer to for my cacti and succulents as it so well done.

Informative book on my favorite...succulents and cacti! Lots of step by step illustrations. Detailed pages on every type with lovely botanical like drawings. Definitely one I will come back to as it talks about all aspects of the life cycle. Keeps it simple!

First off the design and the photos in this book are gorgeous! I have struggled with keeping cacti and succulents alive for as long as I have been a plant owner. I've been told those are fairly easy plants to care for though I keep killing them. This book does a great job of engaging the reader in a deeper understanding of the various types of plants, their history and how to care for them adequately. The section displaying tools and demonstrating how to effectively handle cacti for potting is super helpful. I have often times found myself injured or injuring the plant due to lack of proper tools and knowledge on how to repot properly. I am also thankful this book includes a propagation section. In the houseplant community, people often enjoy trading or sharing cuttings of their plants.

This is a very thorough and informative guide to growing, caring for, and being creative with succulents and cacti. The book includes a guide to placement of succulents and cacti, what kind of soil to plant them in, how to water them, the nutrients they will need, and how to grow more from seed, grafting, or through leaves. There is a glossary (which includes information, photos and illustrations with each listing) of various kinds of cacti and succulents. Scattered throughout the book are excellent instructions and ideas for potting the plants in creative ways, creating succulent bonsai, a miniature desert landscape, hanging succulents, a Ward's box containing succulents and cacti, a succulent wreath and more. There are photos every step of the way. I have some cacti and succulents that need to be repotted and I found the book very helpful--I will use some of what I learned when I do that. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is at all interested in cacti and succulents.

Exactly what it says on the tin, with lovely and sumptuous photos and quality to boot! This book was a silver lining after finding that my last two trials with gardening books were almost unapproachably advanced. Not the case here, only a mild adjustment to region specificity.

This is a really good insightful book into growing and planting cacti and succulents. There are many pictures and ideas to making the best from these plants.

As a lover of cactuses, I was delighted to be approved to read a guide on them.
The book did not disappoint, full of facts and advice on how to care about these beautiful plants. Fantastic guide.

The beautiful illustrations on the cover are also present throughout the book, alongside photographs, modern style line drawings and images from fieldwork. They helped me to identify a few of my own mystery plants, and to learn more about their care.
They are supplemented by useful information about succulents, a trouble shooting guide, pages on common succulents and projects.
I was really inspired by the projects which include a small living wall made from an old picture frame and a mini desert display.
The use of low-cost materials makes them easy to try out.

Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Cacti and Succulents by Paul Rees is a line drawn beautiful guide to Cacti and Succulents. It feels comprehensive but when there is a lack of photos that's never my favorite. We have many books written in this category and I appreciate this effort but it won't be in my top favorites on the subject. Does UK have an edge over the west on succulents this California does not believe they do. I do like the use of tags with height and spread, temperature, position, flowering time, and pests. Ideal.

My favorite page is on String of Hearts but a small photo was included. The String of Hearts was beautifully done.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Quarto Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Cacti and Succulents by Paul Rees.

Thank you so much to Net Galley, the author, and publisher for providing this book for my honest review. I love how this book incorporates so many pictures of plants, projects, and of many of these cacti and succulents in their natural habitats. I really enjoyed the history on various succulents as well as multiple fun projects to do with different plants. This book details the history, tips on growing, and propagation of the most popular and unique cacti and succulents. The projects in this book give tips on selecting planters, creating a bonsai, and even making your own succulent wreath. There are many more projects and each of them look very fun and easy thanks to the step by step directions and pictures of each project. I learned so much of the history and proper care of various succulents and cacti and I can’t wait to try some of the included projects. Thank you again for providing this book for my review.