Debra Lee Baldwin is an award-winning author, journalist and horticulturist credited with launching worldwide interest in succulents with her three bestselling books on succulents. With over 9,000,000 views, Debra's YouTube Channel provides reliable, entertaining info on design and cultivation, plus interviews with renowned succulent experts and tours of world-class gardens.

Need a plant ID? Go to TYPES OF SUCCULENTS.
Worried about your succulent? Go to PESTS AND PROBLEMS.
Hope to grow succulents perfectly? Go to SUCCULENT CARE BASICS.
Need garden maintenance? See REFERRALS.
Something else? Use the Search Bar or menus above.

succulents in the ground

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.

succulent being watered

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. 

succulents in pots on a windowsill

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.

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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

Mail order succulents

Where do YOU shop for succulents?

Find out what to do if the succulents you want aren't available near you. See others' favorite succulent sources, mail-order and walk-in, and share yours in the comments below. Please tell us your city or region, what you've purchased, and anything else that might be helpful.  
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Floral style succulent arrangement (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

150 Ideas for Pots of Rosette Succulents

Enjoy and find inspiration in my idea gallery of 150+ floral-style, potted arrangements featuring rosette succulents. Each is a living bouquet!
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Rosette succulents (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Plant a Pot with Colorful Rosette Succulents

It's easy to plant a pot with colorful rosette succulents that makes people gasp when they see it. A sure-fire way to make one appealing is to combine succulents that are similar yet different
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Jeanne Meadow in her succulent garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

What’s Surprising about Jeanne Meadow, America’s Succulent Sweetheart

Jeanne Meadow, "America's Succulent Sweetheart," is magic on camera. She delights in sharing her garden and showing how to use succulents in creative plant-pot pairings. Few people realize that several years ago, Jeanne was diagnosed
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How, why to grow barrel cactus (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Why Your Garden Needs Golden Barrels

Find out why and how professional designers use golden barrel cactus in succulent gardens, tips on using and caring for the plants, info on their habitat, plus a garden idea gallery. But first a reassurance: For a cactus, it ain't bad. Yes it's spiny, but the spines curve downward, so it's not as treacherous as it looks. IMHO, its plusses far outweigh any minuses. 
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Euphorbia obesa (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Where to Find Rare Succulents

Collectors know where to find rare succulents: at shows hosted by Cactus and Succulent Society affiliate clubs. Attend one near you to see unusual plants grown and displayed perfectly; blue-ribbon winners; reasonably priced plants not found in nurseries; growers and experts; and one-of-a-kind, artist-designed pots. I like to pick out a collectible art pot and…
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Succulent Landscape with rocks (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Succulent Landscaping Trends

As the author of two editions of Designing with Succulents ten years apart, I’m sort of obsessed with the evolution of succulent landscaping. Here’s what designers and homeowners are discovering that works and (perhaps more importantly) what doesn’t. These top six trends—call them preferences, if you like—may surprise you. 1. About as many rocks as plants. Designers bring in boulders, create cobbled riverbeds, fill gaps with gravel,…
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Colorful Succulent Garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

A Colorful Succulent Garden to Copy

You could easily copy this colorful succulent garden at Weidner's nursery in Encinitas, CA. It's a three-dimensional showcase of succulents superbly suited to mild, frost-free regions. Most of the plants are readily available, and all are in my book, Designing with Succulents.  
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Silver succulent pillow

Shop Online at Succulent Chic

When you shop at Succulent Chic, my online Zazzle store, you'll find hundreds of gift and decorative items based on my very best succulent photos and paintings. In addition to my 2020 calendar, there are succulent throw pillows, mugs, greeting cards, coasters, and stretched canvas prints. 
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Succulents and Sass at Waterwise Botanicals

TThe 2019 Succulent Celebration was a giant, two-day party for succulent enthusiasts. Guests filled carts with perfectly grown plants, display gardens blazed with color, kids caught tadpoles, BBQ smoke scented the air, and the sounds of conversation and laughter were everywhere. On Saturday I shared the stage with nursery general manager and wannabe comedian Tom…
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Big Blue’s Life and Demise

The largest succulent ever to grace my half-acre garden was an Agave americana (century plant) we called "Big Blue." With 6-foot leaves lined with sharp teeth
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Aloe mite (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

How to Manage Aloe Mite

They seem everywhere in spring: mite-damaged aloes ranging from dwarf cultivars to tree ‘Hercules’. The microscopic pests (Eriophyes aloines) are not insects but spider relatives. They cause deformed flowers, a bubbly fringe on leaf edges, and orange-and-green growths where leaves meet stems. Google “aloe mite treatment,” “aloe mite prevention,” “aloe gall” or “aloe cancer,” and you’ll discover that distinguished experts, landscape designers, succulent societies…
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Why no ads?

I don't like (or trust) websites stuffed with ads, and I figure you don't either. It's ungracious to make visitors hunt for info buried amid commercials.

If you'd like to support me (thank you!): Obtain my books, watch my videos, and follow links to the few vendors I'm affiliated with. Want to use my text or photos? All I ask is attribution: Imbed the excerpt with a link to the page on this site that it came from.

Mainly, do learn from and enjoy my site. It's my pleasure to share a career's worth of information with you! -- Debra Lee Baldwin

See More on My Succulent YouTube Channel