Plants & Varieties
Discover Stacked Crassulas
My love affair with stacked crassulas began three decades ago. On a garden tour I saw a succulent with leaves stacked like pancakes along pendant stems. I took photos and finally tracked down the plant (Crassula perforata) several years later. Today stacked crassulas are much easier to come by, and desirable varieties number in the…
Read MoreShould You Water Aeoniums in Summer?
Conventional seasonal care advice for aeoniums is to “withhold summer water,” info I’ve routinely passed along. But it’s always bothered me. My own experience and observations indicated otherwise.
Read MoreRecognize and Avoid Weedy Succulents
Here, you’ll learn about and recognize succulents and cacti that become weedy, invasive nuisances if you make them too happy, and what to do to control them. Keep in mind
Read MoreHow and Why Jades Prune Themselves
Because it thins itself, jade plant (Crassula ovata) and its cultivars are extremely low-maintenance. These shrub succulents are wonderfully low-water, aesthetically pleasing garden shrubs.
Read MoreHanging, Trailing and Vining Succulents
Make the most of your patio or garden’s vertical space with succulents that have hanging, trailing or vining growth habits. Included here are those I’ve cultivated successfully and recommend.
Read MoreAll About Aloes
Ah, aloes! No other succulents add so much color, interest and drama to low-water, mild-climate gardens. Aloes are easy to grow and bloom mainly in winter when nothing else does. The number of Aloe varieties is ever-increasing, with lovely new cultivars continually being introduced.
Read MoreSuccess with Stapeliads (Carrion Flowers)
Star-shaped blooms of stapeliads, from South Africa and Arabia, use color, texture, and scent to resemble decomposing meat, in order to attract pollinating flies.
Read MoreWhat’s the “Desert Rose Succulent” on Holiday Baking Championship?
Sorry, Food Network, you got it wrong. The succulents that a Holiday Baking finalist sculpted from frosting are not “desert roses”—that’s Adenium obesum. Hers were echeverias. Here’s why.
Read MoreGraptopetalums: Lovely, Easy Succulents
Of all the succulents I grow, lovely Graptopetalum paraguayense is among the easiest. Here’s how I plant, cultivate, propagate, keep healthy, and show graptopetalums to advantage. Plus intergeneric hybrids such as Graptoveria and Graptosedum.
Read MoreSucculents with Fibonacci Spirals
Many cacti and succulents form geometric spirals similar to those of sunflowers, pine cones and nautilus shells. Spiral leaf arrangements funnel rainwater to roots and keep leaves from shading each other.
Read MoreTop 20 Succulent Types at a Glance
To make things easy to remember and provide a useful overview, in the video I take you on a tour of 20 types all succulent lovers should know at a glance.
Read MoreAre Your Succulents Toxic to Pets?
A vet will need to know what kind of plant your pet ingested. Before there’s an emergency (i.e. now), check to see if any of your succulents are in the gallery below.
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