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

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…

Apr 4 2018

Which Aloes Are Best for Your Garden?

One of Southern CA’s in-demand landscape designers, Bill Schnetz of Schnetz Landscape, Inc., likes to use aloes of all sizes in residential gardens. If you love succulents, live in a mild climate, and grow these South Africans in soil that drains well, “they’ll soon become your favorite plants,” Bills says. For a natural setting, he suggests…

Mar 21 2018

Use Colored Sand to Hold Succulent Bouquets

I like to display bouquets of succulent rosettes in clear glass containers filled with layers of sand. Practical as well as pretty, the sand lends color and interest, and serves as to anchor the stems so top-heavy rosettes don’t tumble out. Succulent sand bouquets make quick and original hostess gifts. Moreover, recipients can remove rosettes from…

Mar 21 2018

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…

Mar 13 2018

Showy Succulents for Snowy Climates (Debra’s WSJ Article)

Showy Succulents for Snowy Climates This is the unabridged original of the article I wrote for the Wall Street Journal. Is it a given that Northerners can’t grow succulents? Not at all. Granted, most of these moisture-storing, arid-climate plants prefer warm, sunny habitats. Yet in response to demand, major growers are cultivating tough, showy varieties that…

Feb 23 2018

Spring in My Succulent Garden

See numerous low-water flowering plants that thrive with minimal care in my Zone 9b Southern CA garden. My spring garden’s most vivid blooms are those of succulent ice plants. Aloes, bulbine and numerous arid-climate companions are bright and beautiful from March through mid-May. Increasing temps tend to put the kibosh on delicate spring flowers. If…

Feb 20 2018

My Bird-Feeder Hobby

Feeders using thrifted items are easy to make, look great, and attract a variety of wild birds—the real stars of this video. In it you’ll see a dozen different kinds, all ID’d. — Debra My hobby is making bird feeders for my garden from repurposed objects. Most of my bird feeders are elegant and pretty,…

Sedum, red flowers (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Feb 19 2018

Designing with Cold-Climate Succulents

How to select, grow and design with cold climate succulents---sedums, sempervivums and more. Tips from Becky Sell of Sedum Chicks at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show

Feb 16 2018

Tips 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 mom Susan had a floral shop in Solana Beach, CA when I met them in ’07. After Susan retired Melissa and partner Jon Hawley launched CW Design & Landscaping, specializing in gorgeous in-ground gardens. But container gardens…

Jan 28 2018

How to Make Succulents Bloom

Above: The problem could be not enough sunlight. Is there a way to make succulents bloom? Yes and no. It partly depends on a plant’s age. It may not be large or mature enough to gear up for reproduction (which is the point of flowers). But there IS something you can do to make a…

Jan 22 2018

Succulent Color Wheel Centerpiece

For the rainbow centerpiece, you’ll need: 18-inch pot saucer. Mine is terracotta. No worries; drain holes aren’t needed. It’s so shallow that water simply evaporates. Approximately six plants in 4-inch pots for each pie-shaped section. Potting soil to fill gaps Succulents come in all colors Enjoy browsing and selecting them at your local garden center…

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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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