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

Weed fabric in cactus garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Should You Use Weed Barrier Fabric?

No doubt you've seen black fabric laid over bare soil with holes cut out for plants. But how important is it to use weed barrier fabric, really? What are the do's and don'ts?
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Succulents stop fire (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Did Succulents Protect These Homes from Wildfires?

Southern CA homeowners in Rancho Santa Fe and Bonsall say succulents protected their homes during two different wildfires. In each case, nearby homes burned to the ground.
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Succulent pot grouping (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Three Problem-Solving Palos Verdes Succulent Gardens

I show you three very different gardens in Los Angeles on the Palos Verdes Peninsula: slope, patio and streetside. Each showcases beautiful, problem-solving ways to display and enjoy succulents.
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Debra Lee Baldwin, Woody Woodruff (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Tour an Arizona Estate Garden

For 15 years majordomo Woody Woodruff has kept everything running smoothly for billionaire homeowners on 7 acres in Arizona's Sonoran Desert, in Paradise Valley NE of Phoenix. His love of his "babies"---thousands of cacti and succulents---is evident, as is his Southern drawl.
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Tephrocactus geometricus (c) Rich Zeh

See Rich Zeh’s 30-Year Succulent & Cactus Collection

Rich Zeh has an Aladdin’s trove of cacti and succulents. "I'm pretty much maxed out on space," he says of his one-acre garden and greenhouse in Paradise Valley (Phoenix) Arizona.
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Succulent headband class (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Trim Hats and Headbands with Succulents

How To Trim Hats and Headbands with Succulents: Step-by-step DIY plus design tips, ideas, finished projects and selecting the best succulents.
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Pam and Tim Jara with Debra Lee Baldwin (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

See a Seven-Room Succulent Garden I Love

This standard-sized back yard has 7 outdoor living areas: spa, bar/barbecue, dining, fireplace, vegetable garden, bonsai/mosaic garden, and fountain/aeonium garden. There are even more if you count...
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Aloe vera leaf sliced (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Why You Should Grow Aloe Vera

Can you grow Aloe vera in your garden as an ornamental plant and harvest its medicinal leaves? Yes, but heed cautions below. This midsized succulent with tall, slender yellow flowers is famous for gel that soothes minor burns and skin irritations.
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Streetside succulent garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Succulent Slope Before & After

See a problem-solving, terraced succulent garden landscaped on a budget. Challenges include hillside erosion, large area, and steep grade. Before-and-after photos, video and plant gallery.
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Endophyllum sempervivi

Recognize This Polka-Dot Succulent Pest?

A succulent pest that dots leaves with raised bumps recently showed up in Oregon, on a sempervivum.  "Understandable if you audibly gasp," wrote the collector who sent photos in the hope I could identify it and suggest treatment.
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Collectors' Succulent Garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

See a Succulent Collectors’ Garden Renovation

The layout is still good, but a lot of plant material needed to be removed to reveal or to salvage large, mature specimens worth showcasing.
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Frost damaged aeonium (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Oh, No, My Succulents Froze!

Oh, no, my succulents froze! Not good: This morning the birdbath was solid ice and lemons had frozen on the tree. Even those succulents I'd covered have patchy areas indicating damaged tissue. Those not covered (above)
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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 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