Success with Succulents by John Bagnasco and Bob Reidmuller – Book Review with a Giveaway

I am the first to admit that I have a black thumb unlike the hubby who can grow anything. Houseplants do fascinate me though and I have managed to keep a couple alive. I’m hoping that by reading Success with Succulents, which was kindly sent to me at no charge by Quarto I might be able to make an addition to my spider plant garden.

About Success with Succulents:

• Color combinations
• Sizes and shapes
• Placement and ideal soil selection
• Container growing
• Watering
• Fertilizing
• Grooming
• Propagation

About the Authors:

John Bagnasco has been an integral part of the gardening industry for more than 45 years. After working for many years at nurseries and garden centers in Michigan and California, Bagnasco joined Creative Promotions in October 2000 as a senior magazine editor and radio personality for Garden Compass. He is currently the president and co-host of the nationally syndicated Garden America Radio Show, which reaches 1.1 million listeners every weekend. He is also the president of www.GardenTube.com, a YouTube–type site for gardeners. Additionally, he is a managing partner in SuperNaturals Grafted Vegetables, LLC., has also taught horticulture classes, and is a rose breeder who introduced over a dozen new varieties. He was host of the DVD The Essential Guide to Roses. Baganasco’s other books include Planting Designs for Cactus and Succulents and Plants for the Home Vol I.

Bob Reidmuller is a lifelong, hands-on plant geek, beginning from a young age under the tutelage of his grandfather in New Jersey. A family relocation to southern California at the age of 16 offered a plethora of horticultural and botanical experiences and opportunities. Starting a small private nursery based primarily on tropicals such as staghorn ferns and orchids led to several years working for Solana Orchids, a large, local producer of orchids for the cut-flower market. This path eventually led to over 25 years and counting working for Altman Plants in Vista, California, the nation’s largest wholesale producer of cactuses and succulents. With the phenomenal craze of all things succulent and being on staff as resident horticulturist there, he spends a major part of his time offering cultural information on this fascinating plant group to their wholesale and retail customer base nationwide.

My Opinion:

Even before I had the opportunity to look through this gorgeous book I had a passing fancy for succulents. They are such fascinating plants; some are all spikey and yet produce glorious flowers. Others have healing qualities. So many shapes and sizes can be found among the various plants too.

The first thing I did when I received the book is just page through it looking at the photos without reading anything. That was incredibly satisfying. The photos are gorgeous. After I looked at all of the photos I got down to appreciating the book for more than just plant porn.

There is a wealth of information here for someone like me who really doesn’t know much about these interesting plants. That doesn’t mean that a gardener with more knowledge wouldn’t find the book very useful too. I liken it to a general cookbook – even though I’m pretty comfortable in the kitchen I still refer back to the very first cookbook I was ever given for some recipes. It’s good to have a reference book for the basics in your library and this one is a stunner. It’s full of great information and helpful hints for what plants to put together whether you are planting inside or out.

Rating:

5

ALL PURCHASE LINKS ARE AFFILIATE LINKS WHICH MEANS IF YOU BUY ANYTHING THROUGH THEM I WILL RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION (at no additional charge to you))

The Giveaway:

One lucky US reader will win a copy of Success with Succulents. Just enter as many ways as you would like on the Gleam widget below. Full rules are on the widget. Good luck everyone.

succulents