Posts Tagged ‘Debra Lee Baldwin’
DIY Floral-Style Succulent Centerpiece
This lush and colorful succulent combo in a pedestal pot looks difficult, but it’s simple once you know how. With the help of the step-by-step instructions and photos that follow, you’ll soon be making your own lovely DIY floral-style succulent centerpieces, gift arrangements, and more. To create this floral-style centerpiece, the designer chose a white-painted wooden…
Read MoreSucculent Extravaganza Highlights, 2017
Succulent Extravaganza Highlights ~ The 7th annual Succulent Extravaganza (Fri-Sat, Sept. 29-30) at Succulent Gardens Nursery in Castroville, CA drew about 1,000 visitors a day. Not bad for a relatively small wholesale/retail nursery out in the boonies 100 miles south of San Francisco. There’s an energy there, some might say a vortex, that whirls visitors…
Read MoreTen Reasons Why You Really Need Rocks
Here are ten reasons why your landscape—especially if it includes succulents—really needs rocks, large and small. Remember when crushed-rock front yards were a ’60s retirement-community cliche? Not any longer! Nowadays smart designers cover bare soil with rocks to create gardens that are as sophisticated and good-looking as they are practical. “Before” photo of driveway planting Driveway garden, “after” (newly installed)…
Read MoreGerhard Bock’s Q & A with Debra Lee Baldwin
Davis, CA garden blogger Gerhard Bock has the precise mind of a scientist, the sweet demeanor of a teddy bear, the photo skills of a magazine photographer, the wit of a TV show host, and a love of succulents comparable to mine. His “Succulents and More” blog is one of the few I subscribe to,…
Read MoreSpanish Blogger Discusses Designing with Succulents
I’ve long been a fan of El Blog de La Tabla, a daily garden blog out of Spain written and researched by Maria Jose Holguin. A bonus is that it’s written in Spanish that is not difficult to understand, which provides daily practice that I enjoy. But you can always click on the “English” option.…
Read MoreGerhard Bock’s Review of Designing with Succulents
It’s a thrill for an author when a reviewer “gets” what a book’s all about. But succulent expert/blogger/photographer Gerhard Bock frankly floored me with his insights and evaluation of the second edition of Designing with Succulents. Excerpt: Sometimes the second edition of a popular book is little more than a cosmetic update, maybe featuring a…
Read MoreWhy Cactus is Popular
Long a pariah plant, cactus is gaining popularity. You could even say that in the gardening world, “cactus is the new black.” Here’s why spiny succulents are catching up with smooth ones, notably in art, home decor, clothing and gift items. A little perspective: The first edition of my book, Designing with Succulents (Timber Press,…
Read MoreWhy You Should Grow Aloe Vera
Why should you—and can you—grow Aloe vera? It’s arguably the most commercially grown succulent (followed by the tequila agave and supermarket kalanchoe). The medicinal and cosmetic value of the plant’s gel-filled leaves have been recognized for millennia, and it is reputed to have been part of Cleopatra’s beauty regimen. Google “Aloe vera” and you’ll get…
Read MoreMy Sea-Themed Potting Demo at Roger’s Gardens
For my sea-themed potting demo at Roger’s Gardens, I combined rosy-pink barnacles with cuttings of a pink-tipped, cream-striped crassula, and did a multiplant arrangement in a seashell pot. These were something I decided to do on the spur of the moment. Roger’s Gardens (the largest independently owned garden center on the West Coast) is all about…
Read MorePlants and Pots at the Cactus & Succulent Society Show
To see amazing succulents in elegant art pots, attend a Cactus & Succulent Society Show. The largest in the US is the annual Inter-City Show at the Los Angeles Arboretum mid-August. Judges award ribbons and trophies based on how well a specimen is grown, its rarity, and how well it’s “staged” in its pot. Pots aren’t…
Read MoreMake a Bouquet of Succulents
When I need a hostess gift, thank-you present, or an arrangement for a special friend, I make a bouquet of succulents. I start by selecting a coffee mug or glass container (usually a jar, thrift-store vase, or clear bottle), the size of which determines the size of the arrangement. Then I head into the garden with…
Read MoreGreat Ideas from Patrick Anderson’s Garden
Below are a dozen great ideas from Patrick Anderson’s garden in Fallbrook, CA. But first, a bit of backstory… Visiting Patrick Anderson’s garden in 1998 was the first time I had seen a residential garden that featured large aloes and agaves. In my YouTube video, “Patrick Anderson’s Succulent Garden,” I take you on a tour of the residential garden that…
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