Success With Succulents

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

Welcome!

I'm pleased to offer you over 100 pages on every aspect of succulents, all ad-free. If that seems too good to be true, scroll down to "Why No Ads?"

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. Do use the MENU and SEARCH BAR above. Overwhelmed? Browse until you're better, or CONTACT me.

Looking foR Videos?

Then you'll love my YouTube Channel. With over 9,000,000 views, it provides entertaining, expert info on succulent design, cultivation, plants, tips, gardens, and much more.

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

Aug 8 2018

Succulents Grown for Bright Flowers: Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

Supermarket kalanchoes (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) are succulents you grow mainly for their flowers. They have been hybridized and sold as flowering plants long before succulents in general became popular. Succulents are plants that look like flowers, and although all succulents produce them, they’re generally not the reason people buy them. Yet this one succulent has been commercially…

Jul 31 2018

Create Beautiful Feeders for Backyard Birds

To make lovely bird feeders like those in my YouTube video, Eight Creative Bird Feeders for Your Garden, you'll find materials, suggestions and how-to here.

Jul 21 2018

Jim Gardner’s Succulent Showcase

At Jim and Jan Gardner’s home near Los Angeles, hundreds of varieties of mature succulents and low-water companion plants pack a colorful, well-thought-out landscape. For over 40 years, the Gardners have lived in Rolling Hills Estates on the Palos Verdes peninsula, which juts from the coastline like a burl on an oak. It’s a highly…

Jul 10 2018

Succulent Desk Buddies, DIY

“Desk buddies” are succulents that look good on your desk and require almost no care. They’re cute and classy, and visitors invariably ask about them. All you have to do is dribble water on them twice a month (which also keeps them dusted). I chose haworthias for my desk buddies because they do great in…

Cochineal scale on Opuntia (paddle cactus) (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Jun 30 2018

Cochineal Scale on Paddle Cactus, What To Do

White fuzzy lumps on paddle cactus are cochineal (coach-en-ee-al) scale, a parasite that pierces the plant's skin and consumes its juices. It's used to make carmine dye.

Introduce children to gardening with succulents (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

May 31 2018

Succulent Projects and Activities for Kids

Ask avid gardeners how they started, and most recall a parent, grandparent or neighbor who introduced them to plants and nature. Now it’s your turn to transform a special child into a plant-lover. Easy-care succulents are perfect starter plants. Find fun ideas, activities and projects below. — Plant a toy truck with succulents. This one,…

May 30 2018

Kids Discover Succulents at LA Kids Day

A popular area of the annual Los Angeles Drought Tolerant Plant Festival is the “Kid’s Day” section, with fun educational exhibits and activities for children. As you’ll see in the video, hand’s-on activities and exhibits introduce children and parents to gardening and fascinating aspects of succulents. My favorite was the potting table, where volunteers help kids…

May 10 2018

Make a Low-Light, “Scooped from the Garden” Succulent Arrangement

Echeveria Info, Photos & Varieties Echeveria Info, Photos & Varieties How to grow echeverias perfectly, plus an extensive gallery, all ID’d See All Succulent Types Aeonium Agaves Aloes Cactus Crassula Echeveria Euphorbias Ice Plants Kalanchoe Portulacaria Senecio About Echeverias Here you’ll find expert advice to help you grow echeverias perfectly, with a gallery of 150+…

May 10 2018

Use Vintage Containers for Succulents

Megan Boone of Nature Containers Vintage Garden Art uses cast-off objects to showcase succulents. As shown by the planted pick above, Megan brings elegance and whimsy to her artistry. I love how the aloe perfectly repeats the shape and color of the rusty metal, and also emphasizes its arc.

Floral style succulent gift basket of echeverias (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

May 3 2018

Make a Gift Basket of Blue Echeverias

Is any plant lovelier than a ruffled echeveria? These rosette succulents are soaring in popularity, and new cultivars are being introduced all the time. Don't miss my YouTube series featuring renowned echeveria hybridizer and grower Dick Wright.

Cholla hanging from finger with spines stuck in skin (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Apr 22 2018

See the Sneaky Cholla That Bit Me and More

Cholla (“choy-ah”) cactus: Love it or hate it? Here I give good reasons for both. I’m curious what you think and if you’ve had experiences with cholla too. Do LMK in the comments! It bit me in Baja In Baja California recently I was showing off my knowledge of native succulents when one “got” me.…

Apr 22 2018

Why Grow Paddle Cacti? 16 Reasons

Of the dozen or so types of cacti in my garden, I have more opuntias than any other. Also known as paddle cactus or prickly pear, Opuntia species have stems shaped like ping-pong paddles. New pads grow from older ones after rains drench the roots and help fuel new growth. Typically these new pads, and flowers that turn…

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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.

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Mainly, do learn from and enjoy my site. It's my pleasure to share its wealth with you. -- Debra Lee Baldwin

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