Succulents, Design & Expert Succulent Advice

Debra Lee Baldwin with Echinopsis (Trichocereus) 'Flying Saucer'

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 about your succulent? Go to PESTS AND PROBLEMS.
Hope to grow the plants perfectly? Go to SUCCULENT CARE BASICS.
Need garden maintenance? See REFERRALS.
Something else? Use the Menus or Search Bar above.
Overwhelmed? Browse until you're better, or CONTACT me.

If You want Videos...

You'll love my YouTube Channel. With over 9,000,000 views, my channel provides entertaining info on succulent design and cultivation. Plus interviews with renowned experts and tours of world-class gardens.

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

Streetside succulent garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Mar 22 2022

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.

Mar 5 2022

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.

Collectors' Succulent Garden (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Feb 27 2022

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.

Frost damaged aeonium (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Feb 24 2022

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)

Feb 16 2022

See Baby Birds (Fledglings) at Feeders

Fledglings are toddlers of the bird world: cute, endearing and fun to watch. They're awkward, curious, beg loudly, and don't let their parents out of their sight. You’ll see nine different types of western birds shortly after they've left the nest. Look for these flying jewels in your own backyard. I show parents and offspring at unconventional feeders

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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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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