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.

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.

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

Carolyn Schaer garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Feb 5 2022

Carolyn’s Dragon Tree Garden, Before-and-After

See a colorful, professionally done garden of low-water, regionally appropriate succulents, some unusual, many large, and all thriving today, seven years after installation. Includes designer tips, specs and gallery of 40+ plants.
Read More
Succulent garden (c) Jim Bishop

Jan 20 2022

Colorful Winter Succulents

How many of these colorful winter succulents can you ID? These and others are great for adding color and interest to dry-climate gardens. This is how aloes and more look midwinter
Read More
Kalanchoe x houghtonii (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Jan 11 2022

Discover 40 Kinds of Kalanchoe

I'm pleased to announce my new 15-minute YouTube video: "Kalanchoe Species and Cultivars: 40 varieties for your garden and pots." In order to make sense of this highly diverse genus, I divided it into six categories: fuzzy, floriferous, mother of thousands (bryophyllums), paddles, tropicals and rarities.
Read More
Horticulturist's compost pile (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Jan 3 2022

My Easy, Inexpensive In-Ground Compost Method

No bins needed! My inexpensive, in-ground compost pile is efficient, rewarding and more fun (and easier) than recycling dripping bags of garbage. The new CA law that requires recycling of kitchen scraps makes sense, but is messy and inconvenient. Here's all you need for a method that's worked for me for decades.
Read More
Agave americana pina (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Dec 29 2021

Want to Make Tequila or Mezcal from Your Agaves?

As with most vegetables, roasting an agave's heart enhances flavor and sweetness. Cottage distilleries in Mexico roast piñas in pits dug into the ground, sort of like a luau.
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Mini pine tree succulent Crassula tetragona (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Dec 1 2021

Grow Versatile “Mini Pine Tree” Crassula

Mini pine tree crassula, related to jade, is a carefree succulent I've grown for 20+ years. The botanical name, Crassula tetragona, refers to the three-sided shape of the leaves.
Read More

Nov 12 2021

Succulent Christmas Tree Holiday Centerpiece

[With Video] Make a succulent Christmas tree for your holiday tabletop centerpiece. This topiary cone with cuttings inserted into the moss needs less care than a floral arrangement and lasts much longer.
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Succulents in Willy Guhl pot (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Nov 11 2021

Create a $2,500 Succulent Planter for $250

When I saw succulents planted in grid patterns in shallow, circular pots, I simply had to show them to you. Here and in my video, you'll see and discover how to make similar planters for your own garden.
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Watering succulents (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Nov 2 2021

Water pH for Succulents

Giving succulents water with an alkaline pH can inhibit the plants' ability to take up nutrients, leading to less vigorous growth and yellowing. Urban and residential water tends to be alkaline (has a pH higher than 7, which is neutral). 
Read More
Succulent watercolor calendar (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Oct 13 2021

Announcing My 2022 Succulent Watercolor Calendar

Announcing my 2022 Succulent Watercolor Calendar! It features a dozen new, vibrant paintings depicting some of my favorite photos of succulents. A great gift!
Read More
Agaves book cover

Oct 12 2021

New Must-Have Agave Book

The new book, "Agaves: Species, Cultivars & Hybrids" by Jeremy Spath and Jeff Moore is a must-have for its images alone. Stunning photos capture the beauty and fierceness of these sculptural succulents in ways both artistic and definitive.  It's a must-have for plant IDs
Read More
Windowsill succulents with glass topdressing (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Oct 4 2021

Succulent Windowsill Pots DIY

In my Succulent Windowsill Pots DIY here and on YouTube, you'll find out how to make a simple, colorful succulent windowsill garden. Whenever you glance out your window at work or home, you'll see and enjoy your living gems.
Read More

Why no ads?

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 it came from.

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