The Pocket Encyclopedia of Cacti and Succulents in Color [antikvár]

FOREWORD My friendship with Edgar Lamb started in 1947, when we first exchanged correspondence about our respective collections. Since then, he has visited our Exotic Garden in Monaco, the management of which I held for 34 years, and in 1953 I had the opportunity of visiting the Lambs' Exotic Collection in Worthing, Sussex, when the third Congress of the International Organisation for Succulent Plants Study (I.O.^S.) of which I am now President, was held in London. Upon our very first meeting I realised that Mr Edgar Lamb was both an excellent horticulturist, with specialized skill in cultivating plants, and also a keen collector. He has taught his son Brian how to love these beautiful plants, and he has in turn become an expert and a valuable associate to his father's work. Horticulture is a science which demands a thorough study of each plant, its cycle, ecological conditions, ways of reproduction etc. so that to grow Succulents which come from hot and desert countries in other climates takes years of study and numerous experiments. My friends, the Lambs, have been very successful in this field, and through the years I have followed the development of their work and collection with great interest. It therefore gave me much pleasure to be invited to write the foreword to this, their latest book in which they deal with all the secrets leading to successful growing. I would give just one word of advice, especially to beginners - do not hesitate to follow each step word by word and you will soon have the pleasure of seeing tKe beautiful flowers of these most unusual plants. L. VATRICAN, ist July, 1969. Director, 'Jardin Exotique', Monaco.