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

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…
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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…
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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,…
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Sedum, red flowers (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

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
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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…
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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…
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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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Agave snout weevil damage (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Agave Snout Weevil Prevention and Treatment

Agave snout-nosed weevil is a half-inch-long black beetle with a downward-curving proboscis that enables it to pierce an agave’s core, where it lays its eggs. Grubs hatch, consume the agave’s heart, then burrow into the soil to pupate.
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How to pick the perfect succulent for a pot (c) Debra Lee Baldwin)

Ensure Perfect Pairings With These Design Basics

Simple design principles can take your potted succulents from ho-hum to WOW. My 3-min video is a must-see if you’ve ever wondered which succulents to choose for a container—especially if it’s a collectible piece of art pottery. Apply these guidelines and you’ll be amazed at how polished your important plant-pot pairings look! Surprisingly effective Knowing…
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Ways to Make Money with Succulents

I originally published this in Dec., 2017. Since then, how many of these have come to pass? Hm…seems there’s still time to grab a slice of the market!  Whenever I’m asked how to find certain succulents or services that are in short supply, I wonder why so few offer them. After all, there’s clearly money to be made! If you or others who…
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What Reviewers Are Saying About “Designing with Succulents”

Above: I introduced the new edition at Succulent Gardens nursery in Northern CA.  Below are reviews of  “Designing with Succulents” completely revised and updated 2nd edition.  Book reviewers are important. It’s not the author or a publicist telling you how good a book is, it’s editors, radio show hosts, columnists, industry pros and peers whose…
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Make a Succulent Cornucopia

[With Video] A succulent cornucopia makes a refreshing update on the traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece, and then after the holiday, you can remove the plants and pot them.  As early as midsummer, craft stores begin stocking holiday containers like this wicker cornucopia
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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.

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