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Succulent Growers I recommend
Wondering where to shop for the best succulents online? Start with these top growers. There's quite a bit of overlap, which is fine; all provide quality.
- For outstanding variety, quality, service, pricing and shipping: Mountain Crest Gardens.
- For dry-climate, outdoor, and collectible succulents: Altman Plants.
- Echeveria rosettes shipped internationally: Wright Nursery.
- For "wierdos" and "rarities" not found elsewhere: Leaf & Clay, Rare Succulents, and Grigsby's.
- For party favors, bouquets, weddings and projects with small succulents: The Succulent Source.
- For succulents acclimated to the Bay Area and beyond: Succulent Gardens Nursery.
Mountain Crest Gardens
So how did a Southern CA gal find out about a Northern CA succulent grower? The Wall Street Journal asked me to do an article on succulents for cold, northern climates. Matts Jopson of family-owned Mountain Crest Gardens was incredible to work with---helpful and knowledgeable---and has become an expert I rely on. Matts' commitment to excellence and attention to detail shine through every aspect of Mountain Crest Gardens.
Mountain Crest Gardens has an outstanding selection of colorful sempervivums ideal for cold, northern climates.
I used nearly 50 MCG assorted Sempervivum heuffelii rosettes to make an 18-inch-tall succulent topiary tree for the holidays. All you need (in addition to a moss cone and floral pins) are the rosettes, so buy them bare root. After they're attached to the form, they'll root right into it.
I'm also impressed by Mountain Crest's succulents for windowsills and offices.
MCG's "Ultimate Succulent Sampler Tray" has 50 different kinds in 2-inch nursery pots. You might use them to fill a gift basket, like the one I gave my daughter-in-law. Or just go with echeverias---they have really nice ones.
Related posts: How to Keep Succulents Happy Indoors and How to Grow Tender Succulents in Northerly Climates, as well as my book, Succulents Simplified pp. 138-143 and video, Make a Low-Light Succulent Dish Garden.
Leaf & Clay
This online succulent nursery also offers pots (hence the "clay"). Check out their website pages dedicated to "wierdos" and "rarities." See their Instagram feed for great photos of succulents and potted combos.
Above: Leaf & Clay Instagram photos
Altman Plants
Most of the succulents I use for the design projects in my YouTube videos come from Altman Plants, the largest grower of cacti and succulents in the US. I don't buy from them wholesale or mail-order; rather, I go to their retail nursery 15 minutes from me, Oasis Water Efficient Gardens. (See my list of San Diego succulent resources.)
Altman also is an Amazon vendor offering multi-succulent packs.
This is Altman's assortment of living stones or "mimicry" plants.
Succulents in 2.5-inch diameter nursery pots are your best deal; expect to pay double for bigger specimens in 3.5-inch pots. It depends on the plant, but the difference is typically six months to a year's growth.
Note: Some links here and throughout my site are "affiliate," which means I get a small commission when a sale on that site originates from mine. This costs you (the buyer) nothing and helps support my work.
Related info on this site
Where do YOU shop for succulents?
Find out what to do if the succulents you want aren’t available near you. See others’ favorite succulent sources, mail-order and walk-in, and share yours in the comments below. Please tell us your city or region, what you’ve purchased, and anything else that might be helpful.
Succulent Nurseries and Destinations
In San Diego and Beyond… Nurseries, public gardens and destinations in North America’s “epicenter of all things succulent” Planning your visit You might easily spend a week or more touring San Diego’s terrific succulent nurseries and destinations. Each has a distinct character, so as you winnow your selection, do read the descriptions and see the videos.…