Succulents, Design & Expert Succulent Advice

Above: Debra Lee Baldwin with Echinopsis (Trichocereus) 'Flying Saucer'

I'm pleased to offer 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 about your plant? 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.
Overwhelmed? Browse until you're better, or CONTACT me.

If you prefer Videos...

You'll love my YouTube Channel. With over 9,350,000 views (and counting!), my channel provides reliable, entertaining info on succulent design and cultivation---plus interviews with renowned experts and tours of world-class gardens.

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.

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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

Sep 26 2018

Succulent White-Pot Pairings

White pots are a simple, effective way to display your prized succulents and cacti. Here I’ve paired colorful, geometric cacti and sculptural succulent euphorbias with an assortment of white-glazed containers. Solo or in groupings, succulent white-pot pairings would look good on your patio, deck, entryway or sunroom. #1 Euphorbia lactea variegata, crested I usually start…

Sep 19 2018

Why You Need to Know Where Succulents Come From

The secret to happy succulents is to duplicate their native growing conditions as much as possible. The more you know about where a succulent comes from, the easier you can do this…up to a point. Occasionally (not often) it’s nearly impossible. No matter what you do, saguaros don’t thrive beyond the Sonoran Desert, where they…

Rinse ants out of rootball (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Sep 2 2018

Ants in Your Succulents? What to Do

Late summer into fall, Argentine ants like to nest in the root balls of potted plants. Haworthias, aloes (especially dwarf varieties), gasterias and gasteraloes are highly vulnerable. Ants overwinter in the soil and consume the plant’s juicy core. Leaves eventually fall off and the plant dies. The first line of defense is to create a barrier around your pots using ant…

Sep 1 2018

Laura Eubanks’ Top Ten Tips for Succulent Garden Design

Laura Eubanks of Design for Serenity is a celebrity succulent garden designer in Southern California. Her “Succulent Tip of the Day” sent her popularity skyrocketing on social media, and her YouTube channel recently exceeded 4,000,000 views. Here, Laura shares her Top Ten Tips for Succulent Garden Design. The photos are from two videos I made…

Garden hat decorated with succulents by Laura Balaoro for Better Homes & Gardens (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Aug 22 2018

How to Make a Succulent-Decorated Hat and More

Here’s how to make a succulent-decorated hat and other projects, with design ideas from attendees at succulent events I’ve been to. Wearing succulents at succulent-themed events is a great ice-breaker. Everyone wants a photo of you. The easiest way to attach cuttings to a hat brim, visor, hair ornament or bracelet is with the moss-and-glue method…

Aug 15 2018

Agaves Handle Summer Heat

Late summer is when tough succulents really shine. Large agaves handle summer heat, and are unfazed by harsh sun, high temps and lack of rain. Their statuesque, fountainlike forms lend a sculptural element to any landscape, and contrast beautifully with fine-textured ornamentals. They also make good firebreak plants and security fences. With the exception of a few…

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,…

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