Success With Succulents

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

Welcome! I'm continually updating my site, now with 100+ pages on every aspect of succulents. Want a plant ID? Go to TYPES OF SUCCULENTS. Worried? Go to PESTS AND PROBLEMS. Want to grow the plants perfectly? Go to SUCCULENT CARE BASICS. Need garden maintenace? See REFERRALS. Looking for something specific? Check the MENU or use the SEARCH bar above. Feeling overwhelmed? Browse until you're better, or CONTACT me. Now relax and have fun. You've come to the right place. ~ Debra Lee Baldwin

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

Pseudolithos migiurtinus (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Oct 4 2020

Bizarre Succulents

To me, a bizarre succulent is one that suggests something it's not in an eerie way---i.e. a cancerous growth, reptile or body part. When I take a second look and ponder what on earth it is, I experience a deliciously unsettling ah-ha (or bwa-ha-ha) moment.

Ants on a gasteria (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Sep 26 2020

Your Autumn Succulent Checklist

This autumn succulent checklist will help you keep your prized plants snug and healthy during the fall and winter months.

Dragon fruit edible succulent (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Sep 21 2020

Ten Edible Succulents and How to Prepare Them

These ten edible succulents can go from garden to kitchen. Most are fairly easy to obtain, cultivate and prepare. The mucilaginous (goopy) texture of certain edible succulents makes them---to spin it positively---great in soups and stews. Vitamin C is

Sep 11 2020

Post-Summer Succulent Concerns

After a brutal, early-September heat wave, I address ten common, post-summer succulent concerns. You'll see them in my a new six-minute video: Post-Summer Care for Succulents (6:49). It's a candid, warts-and-all, behind-the-scenes, damage-control tour.

Roots growing out bottom of pot (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Aug 29 2020

How to Repot a Stuck Spiny Succulent

In a new YouTube video, I'd planned to show you how to repot a spiny succulent. For my overgrown corn-cob euphorbia, I picked an art pot in the perfect size, color and pattern. But (yikes!) the spiky succulent was firmly stuck in its old pot.

Agave 'Blue Flame' and dasylirion (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Aug 15 2020

Late Summer Succulent Care: Six Essentials

These six late-summer care essentials for succulents come from my own experience with growing hundreds of varieties for decades. In my inland Southern CA garden, late summer heat can do as much damage than midwinter frosts. Below is what I do routinely every year.

Aug 7 2020

Agave Dermatitis: How harmful is agave sap? Are you susceptible?

You're already wary of poison oak, cactus glochids and the milky sap of euphorbias. Add agave sap to the list. In susceptible individuals, it causes the skin condition "agave dermatitis."

Jul 30 2020

Fuzzy Kalanchoes: Varieties, Uses, Tips

I'm eager to share with you my fondness for fuzzy kalanchoes. The varieties and design uses of these unusual succulents are diverse and wonderful. Included are important tips to ensure your success.

Sansevieria, fan-shaped (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Jul 25 2020

Which Shade Succulents Are Best for You?

You requested more info on low-light succulents, and I happily complied. I've added a Shade Succulents page to my site and created a YouTube video of the same name. My site's new Shade Succulents Gallery shows a whopping 80+ varieties, many growing in my own climate-challenged garden.

Crassula multicava flowers (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Jul 3 2020

Grow Shade-Loving Fairy Crassula

Fairy crassula (Crassula multicava) is a great succulent ground cover for shade. In winter, like jade (Crassula ovata), it has dainty star-shaped, pinkish-white flowers. Here are 15+ reasons to grow it in your garden.

Potted echeveria garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Jun 9 2020

Plant an Echeveria Garden in Pots

Echeverias do great in containers, so why not plant an echeveria garden all in pots? Because echeverias have great color, symmetry and resemble fleshy flowers, my own potted collection suggests an exotic flower garden.

Succulent Teacup Arrangement (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

May 7 2020

Make Succulent Teacup Gardens

Succulent teacup gardens are lovely on windowsills, sunny shelves and outdoor tables, individually or grouped. They're quick and easy to make and perfect gifts for succulent lovers. When cuttings outgrow the cups, transplant them into larger pots or the garden.