Succulents are the drama queens of contemporary gardens. Their pointy tips, barbed spines, plump moisture-filled leaves, and unexpectedly vivid blooms are the perfect choice for gardeners seeking bold plant statements. Flashy, yes, but hardy succulents are also easy-going plants, able to thrive in every region, and add their good looks to any garden design. Count on them for the spark your garden needs.

From agaves to ice plants, sedums to sempervivums, hardy succulents bring beauty, versatility, and intrigue to gardens in every hardiness zone. They are also hardworking, tenacious, and forgiving of the forgetful gardener. Discover the pleasures of succulent gardening with the thoughtful selection advice, step-by-step growing instructions, practical care tips, and useful design ideas collected in Hardy Succulents, the only book dedicated to establishing the low-fuss succulent far beyond its traditional desert setting.

Introduction: The Glories of Succulence
1. Companions and Stars
2. Tiny Gems
3. Containers
4. Succulent Ground Covers
5. Perennial Companions
6. Shrublike Selections
7. Planting, Propagation, and Care

From agaves to ice plants, and from sedums to sempervivums, hardy succulent plants bring beauty, versatility, and intrigue to perennial gardens in every hardiness zone. No longer relegated to desert climates, succulents offer extraordinary color, texture, durability, and ease of care. It's no wonder succulents are some of the hottest plants to capture the attention of enthusiastic growers in all zones.

Hardy Succulents gives gardeners everything they need to know to select, grow, and maintain these dazzling, low-fuss plants. With step-by-step growing instructions, practical care tips, creative ideas for use, and stunning photographs from acclaimed garden photographer Saxon Holt, this book is as beautiful as it is practical — one that will appeal to novices and experienced gardeners alike.

Gwen Kelaidis, an avid horticulturist and garden designer, provides a comprehensive overview of these unusual beauties, including tips for purchasing, planting, weeding, and dividing. She encourages gardeners to consider the plants when searching for autumn color and explains how succulents can solve common, and confounding, garden problems.

Presented alongside Holt's captivating, cover-to-cover images, her insights are sure to inspire growers of all levels and climates. Readers will delight in succulents' unexpected colors — bronzes, grays, greens, and blues — as well as their distinct shapes.

The first book dedicated to bringing succulents to every North American hardiness zone, Hardy Succulents holds intriguing possibilities for gardeners looking for dramatic ways to make bold statements.

Gwen Kelaidis is one of the foremost experts on rock gardening in the United States. She is the former co-owner of Rocky Mountain Rare Plants, a mail-order nursery, and for 11 years was the editor of the Bulletin of the American Rock Garden Society. Currently, she owns and operates a garden design and installation company based in Denver, Colorado.

Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Distributor: Workman Publishing Company
Publication Date: 02-20-2008
Pages: 159
Measurements: 9.52in X 9.52in X .51in X 1.07lb