Success With Succulents

Discover succulents with Debra Lee Baldwin, bestselling author of
Designing with Succulents, Succulent Container Gardens and Succulents Simplified

Welcome! I'm continually updating my site, now with 100+ pages on every aspect of succulents. Want a plant ID? Go to TYPES OF SUCCULENTS. Worried? Go to PESTS AND PROBLEMS. Want to grow the plants perfectly? Go to SUCCULENT CARE BASICS. Need garden maintenace? See REFERRALS. Looking for something specific? Check the MENU or use the SEARCH bar above. Feeling overwhelmed? Browse until you're better, or CONTACT me. Now relax and have fun. You've come to the right place. ~ Debra Lee Baldwin

HOW-TO'S, TIPS & IDEAS

SUCCULENT DESIGN

Discover how to plan and design lovely, carefree succulent gardens in containers and in the ground. Also under Design you'll find firewise landscaping info, DIY gifts and projects, and holiday decorating ideas - all beautifully showcasing succulents.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

SUCCULENT CARE

Get expert advice on growing, caring for and propagating succulents. Find out how to water, fertilize, control pests and diseases, overwinter succulents, grow them indoors, and by season and region. Under Varieties, view hundreds of labeled photos of easy-care kinds.

LOCAL & NATIONAL

SUCCULENT RESOURCES

Wondering where to find and purchase top-quality succulents? Which tools, books and supplies you need? It's all here under Resources, along with nurseries, public gardens and destinations in America's finest succulent city (San Diego) and beyond.

Subscribe to My Newsletter and Receive

Debra's 7 best succulents

In this free PDF exclusively for subscribers to my "Celebrating the Joy of Succulents" newsletter, you'll learn the 7 best easy-care succulents that thrive in pots and landscapes. Whether you're new to growing succulents or an experienced succulent "parent", you'll love these 7 beautiful plants.

Succulent Updates and Articles

Kalanchoe x houghtonii (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Jan 11 2022

Discover 40 Kinds of Kalanchoe

I'm pleased to announce my new 15-minute YouTube video: "Kalanchoe Species and Cultivars: 40 varieties for your garden and pots." In order to make sense of this highly diverse genus, I divided it into six categories: fuzzy, floriferous, mother of thousands (bryophyllums), paddles, tropicals and rarities.

Horticulturist's compost pile (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Jan 3 2022

My Easy, Inexpensive In-Ground Compost Method

No bins needed! My inexpensive, in-ground compost pile is efficient, rewarding and more fun (and easier) than recycling dripping bags of garbage. The new CA law that requires recycling of kitchen scraps makes sense, but is messy and inconvenient. Here's all you need for a method that's worked for me for decades.

Agave americana pina (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Dec 29 2021

Want to Make Tequila or Mezcal from Your Agaves?

As with most vegetables, roasting an agave's heart enhances flavor and sweetness. Cottage distilleries in Mexico roast piñas in pits dug into the ground, sort of like a luau.

Mini pine tree succulent Crassula tetragona (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Dec 1 2021

Grow Versatile “Mini Pine Tree” Crassula

Mini pine tree crassula, related to jade, is a carefree succulent I've grown for 20+ years. The botanical name, Crassula tetragona, refers to the three-sided shape of the leaves.

Succulents in Willy Guhl pot (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Nov 11 2021

Create a $2,500 Succulent Planter for $250

When I saw succulents planted in grid patterns in shallow, circular pots, I simply had to show them to you. Here and in my video, you'll see and discover how to make similar planters for your own garden.

Watering succulents (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Nov 2 2021

Water pH for Succulents

Giving succulents water with an alkaline pH can inhibit the plants' ability to take up nutrients, leading to less vigorous growth and yellowing. Urban and residential water tends to be alkaline (has a pH higher than 7, which is neutral).

Oct 25 2021

Protect Your Succulents From Rain, Hail, Frost

Prolonged damp and cold are death to succulents. Rot begins in the soil and goes up the trunk. Tissues soften, turn dark, and leaves fall off.

Succulent watercolor calendar (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Oct 13 2021

Announcing My 2022 Succulent Watercolor Calendar

Announcing my 2022 Succulent Watercolor Calendar! It features a dozen new, vibrant paintings depicting some of my favorite photos of succulents. A great gift!

Oct 12 2021

New Must-Have Agave Book

The new book, "Agaves: Species, Cultivars & Hybrids" by Jeremy Spath and Jeff Moore is a must-have for its images alone. Stunning photos capture the beauty and fierceness of these sculptural succulents in ways both artistic and definitive. It's a must-have for plant IDs