Posts Tagged ‘succulents’
Summer Care for Succulents: Heat and Sun Concerns
Don’t let summer sun and heat harm your succulents! Heat generally isn’t a concern. Although some succulents (like sempervivums) tend not to thrive in temps above 80 or 90 degrees F, the majority are fine. It’s heat plus sun that’s the concern.
Read MoreWhy You Need to Know Where Succulents Come From
Can you grow saguaros in Tucson? You bet! In California, probably not. The secret to happy succulents is to duplicate their native growing conditions as much as possible. The more you know about where a succulent comes from, the easier you can do this…up to a point. Occasionally (not often) it’s nearly impossible. No matter…
Read MoreSpring in My Succulent Garden
See numerous low-water flowering plants that thrive with minimal care in my Zone 9b Southern CA garden. My spring garden’s most vivid blooms are those of succulent ice plants. Aloes, bulbine and numerous arid-climate companions are bright and beautiful from March through mid-May. Increasing temps tend to put the kibosh on delicate spring flowers. If…
Read MoreWays to Make Money with Succulents
I originally published this in Dec., 2017. Since then, how many of these have come to pass? Hm…seems there’s still time to grab a slice of the market! Whenever I’m asked how to find certain succulents or services that are in short supply, I wonder why so few offer them. After all, there’s clearly money to be made! If you or others who…
Read MoreDIY Floral-Style Succulent Centerpiece
Check Out My Online Class! Make a lush, colorful succulent combo It 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. Design by Fresh Chic, a division of CW…
Read MoreDebra’s Own Garden
My goal with my own garden is to create a three-dimensional art form that serves as a backdrop for videos, photo shoots and casual get-togethers. Whether in books, photos, videos or presentations—or with plants, rocks, and sweat—I’m invariably about entertaining and sharing in equal measure. It’s one way I define joy. Yours truly in the lower garden with…
Read MoreShould You Let Your Flapjack Plants Bloom?
Should you let your flapjack plants (Kalanchoe luciae) bloom? I’m recommending no…but it’s not that cut-and-dried. Flapjack plant is a succulent that’s popular mainly because of the color of its leaves. (Shown above at Waterwise Botanicals nursery.)f Like other succulents with overlapping leaves along a single stem, when Kalanchoe luciae blooms, the entire plant elongates. This is how those in my…
Read MoreHoliday Decorating with Succulents
Above: Using succulent cuttings from my garden, I create a wreath suitable for an entry, garden wall or gate. Such wreaths also work well as table centerpieces (laid flat) and make great hostess gifts. Quick & clever decorating ideas This time of year, the succulent elves bundle up, go into the garden, and transform it into…
Read MoreMake a Succulent Wreath, Step-By-Step
Make a Succulent Wreath, Step-by-Step No soil needed! I recommend making a soil-less succulent wreath because soil is messy, heavy, dries out quickly, and—surprisingly—isn’t necessary. Cuttings readily root into a moss-filled form. I also don’t recommend fertilizing the wreath after cuttings have rooted, because fertilizer boosts growth, and I want my wreaths to stay compact. …
Read MoreSucculent Wreath Tips and Ideas
THIS PAGE HAS BEEN UPDATED. Go to: https://debraleebaldwin.com/succulent-projects/make-a-succulent-wreath/ Do you like the succulent wreath that my friend Denise made during a wreath party at my home? To create a similar one, you’ll need about 100 cuttings, a wire wreath form, 24-gauge florist’s wire, a chopstick, and a bag of sphagnum moss. The form, moss…
Read MoreGot a Pot? Elevate it!
Potted plants look better atop stands. See how this time-honored Asian aesthetic applies especially well to succulents in art pots in my new video, above. It features San Diego designer Diana Clark, who created the plant-pot pairings shown here. As you look at them, ask yourself: Does the stand matter? Would the composition look just…
Read MoreLophocereus schotii (Totem Pole Cactus)
Succulent expert Don Newcomer showed me a rare columnar, spineless cactus from Mexico: Lophocereus schotii (totem pole cactus). It can be chubby and lumpy, tall and skinny, or columnar and spiral-forming. Lophocereus (Pachycereus) schotii has spines. The monstrose form has club-shaped trunks with spineless protuberances. There are three monstrose varieties: fat (obesa), spiral (spiralis) and skinny or totem…
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