Succulents at the Spring Home/Garden Show
At San Diego's Spring Home Garden Show, I share tips for keeping succulents healthy, happy and looking their best. I'm in a big exhibit hall, so turn on closed captions if background noise is a problem.
Topics in the video:
0:20 Rule of thumb for watering succulents
0:52 How much sun do succulents need, stressing succulents to enhance color
3:07 Aeoniums
4:07 Agave snout weevil
4:54 Jade cultivars
5:51 Ice plants
6:51 Fertilizing succulents
7:27 Why some succulents are fuzzy
I zipped around San Diego's Spring Home/Garden show right before the judging, cell in hand. (When in a hurry, I use my phone to take photos in dim light instead of my fancy-schmancy Canon.) I was delighted with what I saw. No question I'm biased, but the display garden (above) showcasing plants from Desert Theater nursery, and designed by Steve McDearmon of Garden Rhythms was my favorite. You could plunk the whole shebang in your front yard for a great-looking, low-maintenance lawn-replacement landscape.
Apologies for photos that lack credits. None of the display gardens had names on them because they were about to be judged. If you want to ID them in a comment below, please do!
St. Madeleine Sophie's Center (display garden above) helps adults with developmental disabilities. Gardening, propagating plants and selling them is a big part of it. I love the greenhouse in their display garden!
Do I detect a trend brewing? This lovely display combines succulents (dudleyas) with red bromeliads and other low-water tropicals.
Melissa Teisl and Jon Hawley design gardens as Chicweed Design & Landscaping. Although they sold their floral shop in Solana Beach, you can still see aspects of it in their gardens, like the lovely vertical display above. I'll bet the sandbox behind it was inspired by their little boy.
This mosaic pot filled with succulents also is in Chicweed Design & Landscaping's display garden.
Speaking of lovely succulent container gardens, this one is by Katie Christensen for Desert Theater. The gorgeous purple plant is a dyckia, a type of bromeliad that's succulent. Dyckias would doubtless be more popular if they didn't have leaf edges as sharp as steak knives. (Katie, are you bleeding?)
Also in the Desert Theater display is "Miss Katie's potting bench."
Miss Katie brings a feminine aesthetic to succulents.
Judges give bonus points for labeled plants. This is a charming way to do it, don't you think?
The display garden above, which incorporates agaves and dasylirions, utilizes a lot of interesting hardscape and topdressings, which after all are THE ultimate way to have a waterwise garden.
And isn't this stunning? So simple! Pass the oil and vinegar, LOL.
I love everything! Your photos look great even though there with your phone. Wow I wish I could see it in person but this is the next best thing. Thank you Debra!
Thanks, Candy Bear! Coming from you, high praise indeed!
Hi.. I am from India. How can I get succulent seeds from you?
The Cactus and Succulent Society of America does seed sharing. I start everything from cuttings.
Hello, can you tell me the name of the red palm tree like plant in the first photo? Thanks!
Hi Jodi — It’s a cordyline. DLB
2nd photo, I meant. Thanks!
Wondering if any of your readers are giving away some of the extras they have so I can start my own. Willing to pay for shipping
Thanks sara
WOW! This is heaven to me. My name is Denise Cloud and I love everything. I want to join everything. Right now I’m unable to attend anything due to Muscle Atrophy affecting both arms/legs too along with Herniated disks L3,L4, L5, & S1. So I am loving online shopping. I want to start a small community succulent meet/greet next year here in Murrieta,CA. And grow from there. So please overwhelm me with cuttings I can buy to get started and prayers to walk again without assistance. Thank you for listening.
Hi Denise — I love your enthusiasm! May you heal quickly and completely, and soon be able to walk again. Debra