This was a quick read. Pretty interesting if you're into this sort of thing but not particularly memorable.

A great book for cactus growers........ A must book for cactus lovers....... Being a cactus grower i liked this book to the core.......

I really enjoyed reading this and went out to get myself a my own copy with it came out - love the illustrations and is also a great resource for a new plant lover like me :)

A useful and adorable guide to raising your own cacti and succulents at home. Covers different types of plants, dealing with common pests and problems, and how to select the right cactus or succulent for your space. Colorful pen-and-ink illustrations complement the familiar tone.

Goodreads Rating: n/a–would be 3 stars.

I’ve been on a succulent research binge as of late and this looked like it would be a nice short introduction to growing succulents, and highlighting some of the most common or eye catching ones that like to live indoors, as well as outdoors.

While the later point was met very well–50 species are highlighted, with a bold illustration of them and info on how to “train” them, in terms of soil, water, light, and height–the former wasn’t what I’d hoped it would be.

Each individual entry mentions a variety of brief specifics, such as specific aspects of soil or the difference between summer and winter watering, the introductory material was very bare-bones in terms of clarifying these specifics. For example, while the individual entries inform you as to what pH some plants like or that they prefer sandy or loamy soil, the Soil section in the intro just says a well draining cactus/succulent mix will work well. I hope there is more clarification in the final version of the book.

Overall, I would recommend it as a lovely gift book to a friend who might be slightly interested in raising succulents, but still isn’t sure. It provides a fun look at the very basics of raising them and gives a variety of species to consider. However, for someone who is a more serious beginner and is starting to plot out their garden or indoor plantings, it might be a bit too lacking specific information and resources. But with the illustrations and the lovely matte cover I’m imagining this with, it’s a pretty book for any succulent lover to flip through, regardless of whether they own any or not.

A cute and quirky handbook an all things succulents and cacti. Short and to the point, but with a sense of humor. E.g. the propagation section was titled "family planning." I was able to identify several succulents I've had for years and read up on more of their care. While it is not all encompassing this is a great handbook for beginners or timid plant owners. Would be a great gift with a new plant.

I was given an advanced ecopy by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Love this book, the illustrations are absolutely fantastic and very charming, the information is helpful and easy to understand. There are quite a number of cacti listed with a page of explanation and care on each. No photos but fun designs and such lovely ideas for pots in each case. Love this book so much as I have just started out collecting cacti and this book is great.

I have received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

How to train your cactus is a very cute book on the subject of keeping and caring for cacti and succulents in your flat. Tonwen Jones approaches the cacti as if they were pets and treats them as cute and unbothersome critters. A general section discussing keeping cacti and succulents in one's flat is followed by a guide to the most common cacti and succulent species, complete with notes on how to water them, where to keep them and what issues to look out for.

The text is complemented by incredibly adorable pictures which make the book just such a pleasure to look at.

I think this is a book that would make a perfect gift for a beginner plant lover who wants to branch out (see what I did there?) into cacti and succulents.

How to Train Your Cactus takes the humorous attitude to house plant hobby - these spiky things are our pets and very often they don't exactly behave as we'd like them to (they might even go and die, despite our best efforts!). Tonwen Jones' guide has wonderful graphics that go perfectly with the writing style.
The titles of the chapters give a good idea of what's to come:
How to start a plant family
Choose your plant
Ready your home
Family planning
What you'll need
Styling
Troubleshooting
Pests & Diseases
50 Cacti and Succulents and how to train them

Basically Jones' book is all you need to understand the requirements for growing cacti and succulents with some humour and wonderful illustrations added. Because of the very stylized illustrations, this is perhaps not the best book for a total beginner though, as it might be difficult to recognize the plants based on the pictures. None the less, it is the illustrations that set the mood for the whole book and make it as good as it is.
The presentations of 50 cacti and succulents was very interesting and comprehensive - it is definitely a good help on deciding what to purchase and how to tend to those plants you already have.
This book would be a fun gift to a cacti and succulent hobbyist.

As a cacti and succulent lover, I must say that I really adore this book. It's so simple yet informative. This book may not talk in depth about all the type of cacti and succulents in the world. But for you who are new to the world, I think this book would be perfect for you. I love the drawing and how easy it is to read and understand!

If I ever add another collection of cacti or succulents, I will surely read this one again :) Now I know how to take care of my cacti! YAAY!

Beautiful illustrations but honestly there are better succulent care books out there with images that make the process and plant identification clearer for readers. Kitschy but not practical.

We didn't know what to expect with this book's humorous title and cartoon-style cover illustration. Some humor books from Andrews McMeel are downright crass. But not this one. We loved it! It's actually a fun and very comprehensive guide to cacti and succulents. All cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti. Every imaginable variety that you've seen is chronicled in this detailed and well-laid-out book--the perfect gift for a plant lover (especially one who professes to be void of a green thumb). How wide and tall the plants grow, how to plant them, what kind of containers are best, how much to water, when to use gravel--it's all here (with great illustrations). Five stars.

Full disclosure: I am a crazy plant lady. Cacti, succulents, regular ol' houseplants, you name it. This was bound to be a "10/10 would recommend" or "get this away from me right this instant"-read. Guess which we got.

A beginner's guide to the care and feeding of your cactus (or succulent), complete with soil- and water-recommendations, as well as a little "how to style"-part (we're talking "what colour pot would pop with this, which other plants would it look good with"-styling, not "how to comb your Old Man-cactus' fur"-styling. Just so we're clear) aaand the cutest little drawings of the various plants mentioned.

Sure, you could get a more in-depth book on the care of these types of plants, but that would be at the cost of these cute drawings and the playful language (puns! punssss!) and honestly, you don't want to miss that.

So this is a cute lil book about how to care for different succulents and cacti (also fun fact that I learnt from this book: cacti are types of succulents!!!!! :000). This book is full of different types of succulents with a brief tidbit about the plant, details about the type of soil they like, the amount of sun and water they need and some fun lil ideas about how to style this plant in relation to its looks and needs. The styling tips were something I found unique to this book so it was my fave aspect. Ya also get cute lil illustrations of the plants described.

This was a pretty straight forward book about how to care for plants and I like plants so it was a nice time. Although not something I'd get for myself I think it would serve as a nice coffee table book or lil gift.

Familienplanung ins Sachen Kakteen

Sukkulenten und Kakteen sind sehr viel spannender als sie denken - der Beweis ist dieses humorvolle Buch. Liebevoll gestaltet in Wort und Bild inklusive diverse nützliche Informationen zu vielen Pflanzen.

If you need a beginner guide to cactus owning, this is just what you need to get started. It approaches the topic in simple, fun language geared around building a cactus "family". I found several plants I own, or want to own included in the care instructions, including my Eve's Needle (or pin) which I frequently hand out pieces to friends to start collections with. I liked that this included instructions for growing cacti seeds which I don't see often in books, and have an interest in. Great introduction to cacti love!

I have always had trouble keeping cacti and succulents alive. After reading through this book, I have a much better idea of what I did wrong.

The illustrations are cute, and make the plants easy to identify. Each plant has a page describing how to care for it, and what possible problems it might have. I look forward to using my newfound succulent knowledge to try growing one again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook.

I was inspired by my local botanical garden's cactus house to get a succulent myself to grow and keep at home. Months later at the end of last summer, I acquired a small succulent which is still with me and healthy to this day!



However I do wish I had this book back then as I would've saved hours researching how to care for it properly!



From discussing types of them available, tools you will need from a simple trowel and pot to gravel, guide to growing from seeds and how to train certain types of succulents to thrive daily.



Each plant type has a simple page of typed instructions on care and upkeep while the second page of the double page layout features a colourful illustration of what the chosen cacti/succulent looks like so you know what to expect it to grow like.



The cover is a simple green with a colourful cactus on the cover centred to stand out for the subject alike the title anyway. The guide is clear and concise for all ages to be able to follow easily and learn from.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!