Success With Succulents

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

Welcome!

My site has 100+ ad-free pages on every aspect of succulents. Need a plant ID? Go to TYPES OF SUCCULENTS. Worried? Go to PESTS AND PROBLEMS. Want to grow succulents perfectly? Go to SUCCULENT CARE BASICS. Need garden maintenance? See REFERRALS. Also use the MENU or SEARCH BAR above. Overwhelmed? Browse until you're better, or CONTACT me.

Looking foR Videos?

Then you'll love my YouTube Channel. With over 7,000,000 views, it provides entertaining, expert info on succulent design, cultivation, plants, tips, tours, and much more.

SAVE THE DATE

On Sept. 12, 2022 I'm speaking at the San Diego Horticultural Society. Public welcome! Details to come.

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

Orbea lutea (yellow carrion flower) Stapeliad (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

May 21 2022

See Rich Zeh’s 30-Year Succulent & Cactus Collection

Rich Zeh has an Aladdin’s trove of cacti and succulents. "I'm pretty much maxed out on space," he says of his one-acre garden and greenhouse in Paradise Valley (Phoenix) Arizona.

Succulent headband class (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

May 4 2022

Trim Hats and Headbands with Succulents

How To Trim Hats and Headbands with Succulents: Step-by-step DIY plus design tips, ideas, finished projects and selecting the best succulents.

Pam and Tim Jara with Debra Lee Baldwin (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Apr 26 2022

See a Seven-Room Succulent Garden I Love

This standard-sized back yard has 7 outdoor living areas: spa, bar/barbecue, dining, fireplace, vegetable garden, bonsai/mosaic garden, and fountain/aeonium garden. There are even more if you count...

Aloe vera leaf sliced (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Apr 5 2022

Why You Should Grow Aloe Vera

Can you grow Aloe vera in your garden as an ornamental plant and harvest its medicinal leaves? Yes, but heed cautions below. This midsized succulent with tall, slender yellow flowers is famous for gel that soothes minor burns and skin irritations.

Streetside succulent garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Mar 22 2022

Succulent Slope Before & After

See a problem-solving, terraced succulent garden landscaped on a budget. Challenges include hillside erosion, large area, and steep grade. Before-and-after photos, video and plant gallery.

Mar 5 2022

Recognize This Polka-Dot Succulent Pest?

A succulent pest that dots leaves with raised bumps recently showed up in Oregon, on a sempervivum. "Understandable if you audibly gasp," wrote the collector who sent photos in the hope I could identify it and suggest treatment.

Collectors' Succulent Garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Feb 27 2022

See a Succulent Collectors’ Garden Renovation

The layout is still good, but a lot of plant material needed to be removed to reveal or to salvage large, mature specimens worth showcasing.

Frost damaged aeonium (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Feb 24 2022

Oh, No, My Succulents Froze!

Oh, no, my succulents froze! Not good: This morning the birdbath was solid ice and lemons had frozen on the tree. Even those succulents I'd covered have patchy areas indicating damaged tissue. Those not covered (above)

Spring succulent garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Feb 16 2022

Your Spring Succulent Checklist

Do these now to avoid problems and maintain plant health. Links below take you to detailed information here on my site. And hey! Do visit my *Succulent Propagation Page---it's newly updated with basic-but-essential info.

Feb 16 2022

See Baby Birds (Fledglings) at Feeders

Fledglings are toddlers of the bird world: cute, endearing and fun to watch. They're awkward, curious, beg loudly, and don't let their parents out of their sight. You’ll see nine different types of western birds shortly after they've left the nest. Look for these flying jewels in your own backyard. I show parents and offspring at unconventional feeders

Carolyn Schaer garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Feb 5 2022

Carolyn’s Dragon Tree Garden, Before-and-After

See a colorful, professionally done garden of low-water, regionally appropriate succulents, some unusual, many large, and all thriving today, seven years after installation. Includes designer tips, specs and gallery of 40+ plants.

Jan 20 2022

Colorful Winter Succulents

How many of these colorful winter succulents can you ID? These and others are great for adding color and interest to dry-climate gardens. This is how aloes and more look midwinter

See More on My Succulent YouTube Channel

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