The Best Succulent Site EVER

I'm so proud and pleased! I don't think there's anything like my redone, best-ever succulent site anywhere on the Internet, a claim I don't make lightly.

On the Home page, Agave guiengola appears to like being petted.  Photo: Pat Roach. 

My newly revamped site is...

• Easy to navigate
• Beautiful to look at
• Enjoyable to browse
• Readable and entertaining
• Organized with you, the visitor, in mind
• Chock-full of well-researched, succulent-specific info.

It's more interactive, too. Site visitors are welcome and encouraged to leave comments on posts. The response has been terrific---for example, my recent post, "Where Do YOU Shop for Succulents?" has had 50+ comments from succulent enthusiasts, with more than 100 recommendations for sources all over the world, both walk-in and mail-order.

The best and worst aspects of my old site sprang from this tendency: Whenever I run across something interesting and newsworthy, I think, "I have to share this!" But over time, and due to lack of forethought, the site became a mishmash. You had to "Search" to find anything.

Also, I made mistakes that were literally huge...like not resizing photos. I'm used to magazines and publishers where bigger-is-better. That made the load time slow, which hurts SEO. Oh!  

Above: From the Home Page. 

The reorganization took six months. (Clink! A toast to my detail-oriented designer!)* And now...well...if you've ever cleaned and reorganized a crammed closet, you know why I keep opening and admiring it. And insisting others take a look.

Not that my books aren't still your best resources for selecting, growing and using succulents. Books are in-depth. You can hold them in your hands, underline text, write in margins, flag pages with Post-its, curl up and flip through.

But let's be real: When you want advice on a particular topic, you start by looking online. There's some good stuff, but also conflicting info, intrusive ads, obvious errors, and "authorities" with agendas. I find all that irritating and frustrating, and I assume you do too.

The new Succulent Care Basics page helps you find what you need right away. It had been a rat's nest.

Do bookmark the site, visit often, leave comments, and ask questions. Tell me what YOU want and need. I sincerely appreciate knowing what that is. And if you have good info to share, please do. Let's get conversations going!

*Site designer Monica Hemingway specializes in the gardening industry.