Design
12 Succulent Bouquets to Inspire You
12 Succulent Bouquets to Inspire You ~ When wired onto faux stems, succulent rosettes—despite having no roots, soil or water—make long-lasting floral bouquets. Echeverias, graptosedums, crassulas and kalanchoes lend themselves beautifully to bouquets because of their colorful leaves and floral shapes. They’re easy to attach to stems, need no water (because they live off moisture in their leaves), look…
Read MoreDesigning with Cold-Climate Succulents
How to select, grow and design with cold climate succulents—sedums, sempervivums and more. Becky Sell of Sedum Chicks plants cold-hardy succulents in repurposed wood-and-metal containers, hypertufa pots, wreaths and more. She grows the plants, too, where she lives in Turner, Oregon, near the Washington border. Becky’s compositions can overwinter outdoors in northerly climates (Zones 4…
Read MoreTips from a Top Succulent Container Garden Designer
Melissa Teisl of Fresh Chic is the designer whose artistry I show most in my book, Succulent Container Gardens. She and her mom, Susan, had a floral shop in Solana Beach, CA when I met them in ’07. Then Susan retired, and Melissa (with partner Jon Hawley) launched CW Design & Landscaping, specializing in gorgeous in-ground gardens. But container gardens are Melissa’s first…
Read MorePerfect Succulent Art-Pot Pairings
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”] Two basic design principles will help you create perfect succulent art-pot pairings. From my book, Succulent Container Gardens: “Contrast and repetition are the two most important design elements. When these are used effectively, the results are remarkable. Contrast jolts and engages; repetition comforts and soothes…Repetition hearkens back…
Read MoreSeven Ways to Make Money with Succulents
Dec., 2017 Whenever I’m asked how to find certain succulents or services that are in short supply, I wonder why so few offer them. After all, there’s clearly money to be made! If you or others who might make these happen are merely unaware, hang on, I’m about to remedy that. Btw, I’m happy to help get the word out about anyone who offers the…
Read MoreMake a Succulent Cornucopia
A succulent cornucopia makes a refreshing update on the traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece, and then after the holiday, you can remove the plants and pot them. As early as midsummer, craft stores begin stocking holiday containers like this wicker cornucopia (also available online). I took mine to the nursery and went up and down the aisles muttering, “Succulents…
Read MoreTen Reasons Why You Really Need Rocks
Here are ten reasons why your landscape—especially if it includes succulents—really needs rocks, large and small. Remember when crushed-rock front yards were a ’60s retirement-community cliche? Not any longer! Nowadays smart designers cover bare soil with rocks to create gardens that are as sophisticated and good-looking as they are practical. “Before” photo of driveway planting Driveway garden, “after” (newly installed)…
Read MoreGerhard Bock’s Review of Designing with Succulents
It’s a thrill for an author when a reviewer “gets” what a book’s all about. But succulent expert/blogger/photographer Gerhard Bock frankly floored me with his insights and evaluation of the second edition of Designing with Succulents. Excerpt: Sometimes the second edition of a popular book is little more than a cosmetic update, maybe featuring a…
Read MoreMy Sea-Themed Potting Demo at Roger’s Gardens
For my sea-themed potting demo at Roger’s Gardens, I combined rosy-pink barnacles with cuttings of a pink-tipped, cream-striped crassula, and did a multiplant arrangement in a seashell pot. These were something I decided to do on the spur of the moment. Roger’s Gardens (the largest independently owned garden center on the West Coast) is all about…
Read MoreMake a Bouquet of Succulents
When I need a hostess gift, thank-you present, or an arrangement for a special friend, I make a bouquet of succulents. I start by selecting a coffee mug or glass container (usually a jar, thrift-store vase, or clear bottle), the size of which determines the size of the arrangement. Then I head into the garden with…
Read MoreCircular Succulent Garden
When I first saw fitness coach Amy Van Liew’s circular garden and spherical fountain, I envisioned how it might look replanted with colorful succulents. A great fountain and garden bed deserve to be seen, especially when in the middle of a magnificent home’s entryway. In the spring, when I took this photo of Amy, the flowers in the…
Read MoreCreate a Soothing Succulent Sitting Area
If you enjoy gardening, you’ve no doubt experienced how it can be a form of meditation and a treat for all the senses. But have you considered how simply looking at certain plants induces a feeling of serenity? You can discover this by enhancing a sitting area with succulents that incorporate geometric patterns and spirals. The eye…
Read More