Book review: Cool Cacti and Succulents for Hot Gardens by Greg Starr

Greg Starr needs little introduction. He’s an inveterate traveler and plant explorer, a leading expert on agaves, the author of many articles and several books, and a popular speaker on the cactus club lecture circuit. His contributions to botany include the formal description of eight species and one subspecies of Agave [1], three species of Hesperaloe [2], and one cactus species [3]. In addition, he is the owner and operator of Starr Nursery in Tucson, AZ.

In 2021, Greg published the revised edition of Cool Plants for Hot Gardens highlighting 150 plants ideally suited for arid climates (click here to read my review). His new book, Cool Cacti and Succulents for Hot Gardens, is a companion resource. It features 150 water-smart choices for the Southwestern U.S. and California as well as dry regions of Australia and parts of Europe that have a Mediterranean climate.

In the introduction, Greg explains how to use the book and briefly touches on things like climate zones, planting, and watering.

The bulk of the book is a 300-page encyclopedia of 150 plants chosen for their usefulness in arid climates. Most of them are from the Americas (think agaves and cacti), a few are from Africa (like aloes). 150 plants sounds like a lot, but it’s just a drop in the bucket considering how many succulents there are. By necessity, Greg limits his selection to plants that are reasonably easy to grow in hot climates. As he states in the introduction, he had to leave out some of his favorites: “For example. Aztekium species and Geohintonia mexicana are exciting to see in habitat, but they are very small and difficult to find in the trade. However, plants such as Astrophytum asterias and Ariocarpus fissuratus may be on the small side, but they are more easily found [...] and can be showcased in a potted collection.”

Like in Cool Plants for Hot Gardens, each plant has a two-page spread. A summary box at the top of the first page gives essential information, including size, flower color, flower season, exposure, watering requirements, growth rate, and hardiness. Sections such as “Etymology,” “Field Notes,” “Description,” “Culture,” “Identification,” “Landscape Application,” and “Precautions” provide relevant details. Two or three photos show the entire plant and often a closeup of the flowers or other notable features.

Here are some sample pages to illustrate this reader-friendly layout:

Most plants featured in the book are either cacti or “conventional” succulents (like agaves, beaucarneas, dasylirions, nolinas, yuccas, etc.). But Greg throws in a few unexpected curveballs, including succulent shrubs like Bursera fagaroides, Bursera hindsiana, and Bursera microphylla, Jatropha dioica, and Pachycormus discolor. These aren’t necessarily plants you’d think of in the context of succulents and cacti.

I was familiar with many of Greg’s choices, but quite a few were new to me, especially cacti like Cleistocactus hyalacanthus, Coryphantha erecta, Espostoa melanostele, Grusonia bradtiana, and Thelocactus buekii.

The information Greg provides is useful for both home gardeners and professionals creating gardens for clients. Greg uses simple and straightforward language that is easy to understand even for laypersons. Key botanical terms appear in boldface and are defined in the glossary starting on page 333.

My favorite sections are the field notes. Here Greg describes each plant’s natural habitat based on his own experience in the field. Often, the field notes are a brief travelogue. As an example, here's the entry for Echinocactus grusonii, the golden barrel: “In May 2013, Brian Kemble and I drove out to see the population of Echinocactus grusonii growing in Zacatecas. The drive took a long time, and we did not have any camping gear, so we had limited time to explore the area. In May 2014, Jeff Chemnick, Brian Kemble, and I were looking for cacti and succulents and stopped at a pullout to have a look around. We walked to a canyon and looked across, spotting two large Echinocactus grusonii growing on a steep slope. Plants favor steep rocky slopes and semi-arid vegetation from about 4,600–6,500 feet elevation.”

The last section, the “Plant Database,” is a reference table of all the plants in the book. It’s organized by size, ranging from “Small Cactus,“ “Clustering Cactus,“ “Sprawling Cactus,” etc. to “Tree-like Succulent“ and “Columnar Succulent.” Easy-to-see dots next to the plant name indicate whether a plant attracts hummingbirds, bees, or bats and what its water usage is.

As I mentioned earlier, the book’s focus is on hot and arid climates. This may limit its direct applicability for gardeners in more temperate areas, and some of the plants discussed may not thrive outside of arid or semi-arid regions without careful attention to microclimates and specific growing conditions. However, for gardeners living in suitable climates, the book is both a valuable reference and a great source of inspiration.

Cool Cacti and Succulents for Hot Gardens is self-published and can be ordered from the website of Starr Nursery for $35 plus shipping.

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^{1. Agave azurea, A. calciphila, A. cremnophila, A. cryptica, A. oteroi, A. ovatifolia, A. salomonii, A. yucuanensis; A. parviflora ssp. densiflora ↩}

^{2. Hesperaloe campanulata, H. chiangii, H. tenuifolia ↩}

^{3. Thelocactus tepelmemensis ↩}

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