Agaves

June 15, 2012

Starr (Cool Plants for Hot Gardens) wants to break agaves--succulents with large rosettes of leaves--out of the botanical box in which they have been relegated. While agaves have always been an important design element in cactus and succulent gardens, Starr believes they can do so much more. Not only is there a wide variety of color and size choices within the agave family, this low-maintenance and drought-tolerant species can actually thrive in a range of different gardening zones if given the right care. After a quick overview on growing agaves, Starr dedicates the bulk of his book to an encyclopedia section focusing on 75 different species of agaves with detailed field notes, plant descriptions, and landscape value provided for each entry. VERDICT While Howard Gentry's Agaves of Continental America (1982) remains the bible on this subject and Mary and Gary Irish's Agaves, Yuccas, and Related Plants (2000) is a good introduction for beginning gardeners, Starr's gorgeously illustrated guide is not without its own merits (including information on newer cultivars and hybrids) and will prove especially useful for budding botanists and gardeners interested in learning more about agaves in their native habitat.--John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZHealth & Medicine

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2012
Though their distinctive, spiny structure may conjure images of aliens from another planet, agaves' unlikely appearance helps make them swoon-worthy garden stand-outs. With their swirled, symmetrical rosettes that range in color from vibrant chartreuse to icy silver, towering flower stalks that stand like sentinels keeping watch over the distant landscape, and prickly teeth worthy of a creature from a horror movie, agaves have long fascinated gardeners fortunate enough to live in their rather limited distribution zones. Starr increases the still-growing horticultural and taxonomic information on these noteworthy plants by updating current information and introducing substantial background on new species through comprehensive biographies of 80 species, varieties, cultivars, and hybrids. Though most widely grown in the deserts of the Southwest, agaves' range can extend into more temperate zones, depending on such factors as annual rainfall and frost-hardiness. Starr's extensive working knowledge, meticulous attention to cultural requirements, and detailed explanations that include recommendations regarding landscape use, make this an authoritative guide and invaluable resource.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)