Here is the final part of the book collection …be sure to check out the other two posts if you haven’t already! This last part focuses a little on the ‘trendy/coffee table’ style house plant books that are currently doing the rounds. Whilst I prefer a vintage gem filled with lots of detailed information, if you are just starting out, this has the potential to feel a bit overwhelming. So here are some alternatives.
THE LITTLE BOOK OF CACTI AND OTHER SUCCULENTS // Emma Sibley
This probably comes into the category of ’trendy’ coffee table book, plus it gets cool points for being stocked at Urban Outfitters! It’s design is pretty straightforward which makes it easy to flick through. In addition, it is organised clearly and has large photographic illustrations on one side of the spread, with the ‘vital stats’ of the plant in question on the opposite. I also like the use of the symbols which act as a clear guide, showing the requirements of each plant. As is the case with the other cacti/succulent specific book (see below), I find the instructions get a little repetitive because most care is pretty similar, particularly for cacti – a notoriously easy going house plant! For someone that likes photography or design, this could be a good buy – I also think it could offer a bit of Instagram inspiration for composing plant photos if that is something you struggle with.
HPH rating: 6/10
HOW NOT TO KILL YOUR PLANTS // Nik Southern
Again, this one plays into the current ‘houseplant trend’ with it’s eye catching tongue-in-cheek title. There are some nice plant styling photos, which I always appreciate – seeing how the plants actually live in their owners’ homes. I’m honest though, I didn’t really connect with this book as much as some of the others, but it does offer the usual useful care tips etc. I found the information and layout a bit haphazard and not that easy to dip in and out of. I do think it would appeal to a younger audience perhaps, and can see it working well as a gift.
HPH rating: 5/10
PRICK: CACTI AND SUCCULENTS: CHOOSING, STYLING, CARING // Gynelle Leon
Here is the book offering from the London cacti shop of the same name. As with the other two books from my list that fall into this ‘trendy’ category (Sibley and Southern’s books), things are a bit thin on the ground here. The layout is beautifully designed and the minimalist photography does certainly show off the specimens well (and also their in house ceramics). As a coffee table/cacti inspiration book it’s enjoyable to flick through, but after picking it up a few times, I do not find myself discovering anything new. Some of the entries are not more than a couple of sentences, and stop short of getting into the interesting information. As mentioned above, there is a fair amount of repetition because of the formulaic structure of the text. I would say this book might be useful to a beginner that wants to familiarise themselves with different varieties of cacti.
HPH rating: 6/10
Hope you enjoyed this three part series of posts. I’ll be sure to share any new houseplant books with you, and if you have any recommendations please get in touch.
Thanks for reading!
Laura
*This post is not sponsored!
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