Give a Basket of Baby Succulents Amazing tips

Want to launch a lifelong love of gardening? Give a basket of baby succulents.

When I was in my 20s, I had about 30 tropical houseplants. Before going on vacation, I asked a neighbor to tend them. To make it easier for her (ha), I labeled each plant with a number that corresponded to a hand-drawn map of my apartment’s interior, and a list that gave each plant’s watering schedule and amount. If that sounds a bit excessive—or obsessive—consider that #plantparent on Instagram now has over 20K posts and gains 100+ more every week.

So what does that mean for you, dear reader, since you’re probably not in that demographic? (Most of my subscribers are 40+. That’s who we are, and we’re proud of it.) Well, you now have an idea for that lovely niece or DIL you normally just throw a gift card at: a Plant-Parent Gift Basket.

In a nice basket or box, place a ceramic pot, eight or nine chubby succulents still in their nursery pots, and small bags of soil and pebbles. (You can of course plant everything yourself, if you’d rather give a finished arrangement.) Let the succulents breathe in bright light, protect from frost, and keep soil barely moist until a few hours before they meet their adoptive parent/s. Then tuck baby plants and their gear into the box or basket, and pad with tissue paper. Wrap the whole shebang in clear cellophane and tie with ribbon, perhaps with a pacifier attached (kidding…sort of).

Include a copy of Succulents Simplified or Succulent Container Gardens. Email me if you want autographed, personalized copies. Or if she likes videos, give my online class, Stunning Succulent Arrangements. Watch it together! 

An Easier Way (recommended if you’re shipping to the recipient): Send a gift arrangement from Succulently Urban. Owner/designer Marialuisa Kaprielian does gorgeous work, her plants are superb, and her prices are awesome. Plus her echeverias (shown here) are kitten-cute. Marialuisa will ship two-day or overnight until mid-December.

The Grand-Plant-Parent Way: Gather individual items at your local garden center or order them online. Good starter collections:

Altman Plant’s indoor succulents collection: set of 8 in 2.5 inch pots, $27

Mountain Crest Gardens Indoor Succulent Set of 9 in 2-in pots, $28

Add a pot that has a simple form in colors trending with 20-somethings: white or pale pink. One example of many on Amazon:

— 8-inch round white ceramic pot with tray $22

Thoughtful extras likely to be appreciated:

— Pebbles for topdressing: 32 oz. bag, $8.79

— Cactus potting mix, 10 qts, $13.61

Enjoy your grand-plant

When your gift gets squeals of glee, suggest that the giftee post occasional photos on Instagram. It’s a great way to stay connected and watch baby plants grow. About half of the photos on Instagram’s #plantparent and #plantparenthood are of succulents. Do tag @DebraLBaldwin in the comments—Auntie Debra wants to see them too!

Also watch my YouTube video in which I assemble a gift basket of echeverias for my own DIL.

Related Info on This Site:

Great Gifts for Succulent Lovers

Succulent Centerpieces

Buy and Shop for Succulents Online

Tips from a Top Succulent Container Garden Designer

My “Stunning Succulent Arrangements Class” 

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12 Great Gifts for Succulent Lovers Amazing tips

Much of what follows is my own wish list, but these 12 items make good gifts for other succulent lovers too. Some I already own and figured you’d like too. If you’re the giftee, you might want to forward this to the gifter. Note: Some links go to Amazon, where I’m an associate, so I do get a small percentage of any sales that result (doesn’t cost you extra). Please know I appreciate it—especially since, while doing this exhaustive research, I bought a few things. ;+)

Tools and useful items

Thorn Armor Gloves: These are the gloves that Phoenix artist Jim Sudal wore while assembling his prickly-pear holiday tree. His gloves were shot after two days and 250 spiny pads, but Jim says he wouldn’t—and couldn’t—have done it without them. Prices vary according to size, but expect to pay $50 and be pleasantly surprised if it’s less. I figure a pair ought to last someone like me, who doesn’t handle cactus much, a lifetime. In fact, they’ll likely become heirlooms.

Thorn Armor gloves

Joyce Chen scissors. Around $20. I have four pairs that I keep in various drawers and on my potting bench. I even have a pair in my car for…well…you know, the occasional overgrown succulent by the side of the road. Joyce Chen scissors don’t appear tough, but they can cut through finger-diameter branches. I use them mainly for precision snipping, clipping and deadheading. If I could keep one of pair away from the garden, I’d use it for its intended purpose: in the kitchen, cutting bones.

12-Inch Tweezers. Under $10. These are for fiddly instances when you have to reach into an agave or between spines to extract fallen leaves, weeds and bits of debris. Long tweezers also are good for picking up bristly succulents. However, for a plant much larger than a ping-pong ball, you really need tongs…which I suspect you already have (check the kitchen). Hm, maybe you should get a second set of those, too.

The Colorful Dry Garden, $23. Not only is author Maureen Gilmer a renowned expert on plants and gardening in the dry, hot Southwest, her explanations, advice and descriptions are engaging and insightful. Gilmer’s beautifully illustrated book presents an extensive assortment of flowering shrubs that make great low-water companions for succulents. It dovetails perfectly with my newly revised and updated second edition of Designing with Succulents. Want to win both? See the Giveaway below. 

Moisture meter. Worried about under- or over-watering your succulents? Ironically, highly nurturing succulent owners are most at risk of having their plants rot. If you tend to be a helicopter plant parent, you’ll find a moisture meter reassuring. Stick its probe into the soil, and if the indicator goes to the left of moist, it’s OK to water. If it zips to the right, back away from the plant. This particular meter also measures light and soil pH, and needs no battery—not bad for under $10.

Pretty, Cool Stuff

Commemorative Tile: It’s a win-win: You support a worthy cause; honor a cherished relationship for decades (if not centuries) hence; and you give the recipient a lifelong fondness for a public garden. This particular tile is in the Children’s Garden of the San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG), and whenever my grandson goes there, he looks for it. The SDBG is now raising funds for a 7,400-square-foot glass conservatory. Donor tiles are $250 to $5,000, depending on size. In the Bay Area, the Ruth Bancroft Garden—renowned for its succulent collection—is currently selling donor tiles to raise funds for a new building.

Cactus pad jewelry. I found the adjustable ring (above) on Etsy for $11. Matching earrings are $10. They’re made of “high quality resin” and come from Bulgaria, so if you’re interested, order soon.

Succulent leggings. No one would ever think of getting these for me (how sad is that?), so I consoled myself by adding them to my cart. If the pattern I chose is a too sedate for you, do a search for “succulent leggings.” There are dozens of styles, some insanely colorful.

Succulent shoes. These come in several patterns, including cacti. I can’t speak for the quality, but I’m intrigued. The seller won’t ship after Nov. 30 to ensure delivery by Dec. 25, so if you’re interested, jump. I’m a size 9. Just sayin’. 

On my Zazzle store

Wondering about my own designs? Thank you! Over the years, I’ve created dozens of gift and decorative items for sale online via Zazzle. Zazzle doesn’t make it easy to pass along discounts, but here’s a 15%-off code you can use through Jan. 31, 2019. Copy-and-paste it when you order: UQEYOJQKDMCOXQJQPRTP. But first see if they’re offering an even better discount (which they often do).

My 2019 Succulent Watercolors calendar, regular price $22.15. Nine of the 12 pages are shown at right.

Agave watercolor tile, 4.25″ x 4.25″, regular price $13.70.

Barrel cactus pillow, several sizes. Lumbar shown here, 13″ x 21″, regular price $36.65.

 

Blue agaves throw pillow, several sizes. Throw shown here, 16″ x 16″, regular price $31.35.

And now, My Giveaway!Mosey over to Instagram to enter to win two terrific books: Designing with Succulents by yours truly and The Colorful Dry Garden by Maureen Gilmer. If you’re also one of my newsletter subscribers, you’re eligible to WIN A THIRD ITEM: my Succulents 2019 Watercolor Calendar. Winner will be selected at random and announced on Instagram Sunday, Nov. 25 at noon PST. Sorry, no prizes mailed beyond North America.

Related Info on This Site:

Where and How to Order Succulents Online 

Tools, Books and Products for Succulent Gardeners

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Six New Holiday Designs to Inspire You Amazing tips

To inspire and entertain you, I’ve selected six new, never-seen-before holiday design ideas featuring succulents. Do consider each as a launching point for your creativity, and feel free to share them with friends. I’d love it if you’d post photos of what you come up with on Instagram or Facebook, and tag me @DebraLBaldwin. Regardless, have fun and enjoy!
Sempervivum topiary tree. This is a riff on my 2017 topiary tree. I love hens-and-chicks but only recently have grown them successfully year-round. The concept for this year’s mini-tree was one by Margee Rader in my book, Succulent Container Gardens. I used nearly 50 assorted Sempervivum heuffelii (hew-FEL-ee-eye) hybrids in 2-inch pots from Mountain Crest Gardens. When the holidays are over, they’ll join my other “heuffs” in the garden. (Most semps don’t like our hot summers here in Southern CA but so far, heuffs–which used to be classified as Jovibarba–are doing well.) See my materials list for a topiary tree. 
Ready-made succulent ornaments. Speaking of Mountain Crest Gardens, the succulent pine-cone ornaments they introduced this year are a super deal. The set of three includes six sempervivums atop sequoia cones (each 3-inches tall by 1.5-inches wide) for $10. So that means you get six semps that you can wiggle off and plant after the holidays for under $2 each! Be sure to check out MCG’s other fetching succulent ornaments too.

Mini succulent Christmas tree. This desktop tree is 8 inches tall with a 4-inch-wide base. To make glass balls appear to hang from branches, I held the three-stemmed cutting upside-down, dotted the leaves with white glue, then added beads. A small, shallow container makes the cutting look proportionally large and treelike. A glass jar lid sort of looks like ice, but any container will do including a flowerpot. A small floral frog (a flower holder made of metal pins) holds the cutting upright, and white sand with blue sparkles hides the frog and suggests snow.

Succulent garden of lights. Every year Sabine Hildebrand of  Weidner’s Gardens nursery in Encinitas, CA, decorates her own garden with holiday lights. In December night falls by 5:00, so Sabine and husband Rob enjoy their glowing garden for hours every evening. She keeps the design simple—no colored or twinkling lights—to showcase the plants’ shapes and colors. There’s not much difference in decorating succulents instead of shrubs, Sabine says. “Do it late in the afternoon so you can see the results as it’s getting dark. Then rearrange the strings of lights as necessary.” See more in my new YouTube video: Sabine’s Holiday Succulent Garden.

Ferocactus glaucescens in a gold-painted terra-cotta pot glows with mini lights.

Barrel cactus aglow. Inspired by Sabine’s garden, I added tiny lights to a ferocactus to create a holiday centerpiece for the patio table outside my kitchen and dining room windows. The plant’s translucent spines shine, making an intriguing display. See how to make it, step-by-step, on my website and in my latest DIY video: Decorate a Cactus with Holiday Lights. I also painted the pot to match the gold of the spines, and to make the combo look good during the day as well as at night. [Continue reading]

Cactus pad Christmas tree.  Jim Sudal’s cactus-pad holiday tree reinterprets the traditional fir, and is perfect for the dry, hot Southwest. Like Jim, many residents of Phoenix (and well beyond) have stands of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica), a succulent iconic to the region. About 250 cactus pads from Jim’s garden cover a 7-foot-tall cone that he and friend Mark Faulkner assembled on an iron frame wrapped with poultry fencing. “We wore special gloves called Thorn Armor that did their best to protect our hands,” Jim says. [Continue reading]

Wonder why I didn’t include succulent wreaths? Well, there are so many gorgeous ones, I created a Pinterest page for the best of the best! 

Related Info on This Site:

 

 

 

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Jim Sudal’s Cactus Pad Holiday Tree Amazing tips

Jim Sudal‘s cactus pad holiday tree is a great reinterpretation of the traditional fir tree, and perfect for the dry, hot Southwest. Like Jim, many residents of Phoenix (and well beyond) have stands of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica). The juicy-leaved succulent is iconic to the region. “Last year I built a garland around my gallery front door made from fresh prickly pear pads,” Jim told me. “They lasted at least eight months and even started to sprout new pads.”

 

About 250 cactus pads from Jim’s garden cover the 7-foot-tall tree. He and friend Mark Faulkner spent two days assembling it on a conical iron frame wrapped with poultry fencing. “We wore special gloves called Thorn Armor that did their best to protect our hands,” Jim says. The men wired each pad at its stem end, then hooked it to the frame. Jim’s not planning on leaving the tree up past winter, but it has the potential to look good for at least six months.

Jim, a renowned ceramicist, gets much inspiration from succulents. He sells his work via mail order, so if you’re looking for home decor items or the perfect gift for a succulent lover, do visit his site. A few of many lovely items:

L-R: Cactus pad soap dish comes with a bar of prickly pear soap and a cactus ornament; two pots decorated with agave leaves; an aloe-in-bloom plate; a vase inspired by columnar cacti.

Cactus tree Q&A 

If you’re keen to make a cactus tree or just want to know more, here’s my Q-and-A with Jim. 

Q: What’s the approximate diameter of the base of the tree?

A: Probably 4 ft.

Q: Did you secure the chicken wire to the frame with zip ties?

A: No, we used bailing wire.

Q: Where did you get the frame?

A: I bought the metal tree frame from a retail display company, Tripar.

Q: How and why did you remove the spines?
A: We removed some of the daunting spines, not all, with scissors to make them easier to handle and to make a bit safer for spectators who are taking pictures of themselves next to the tree.

Q: What’s the cloth under each pad, and what purpose does it serve?

A: It’s natural colored burlap, and it was simply an aesthetic choice to give the pads some distinction between the layers.

Q: Figure 3 lbs/pad x 250 = 750 lbs. What’s the tree standing on?
A: The tree is on one of the iron table bases I have made for making my ceramic-topped tables. We wanted to bring the tree up a bit higher above the prickly pear garden in front of my gallery. I clamped the base of the tree to the top of the table base.

Q: What kind of hooks did you use?

A: We made our own hooks from bailing wire. We threaded the wire through the woody end of the pad and looped it around, twisted it and bent it into a hook.

Thorn Armor gloves

Q: Despite wearing $50 Thorn Armor gloves, did you get poked?

A: They worked really great, but by the end of the day, they were a bit saturated with spines that eventually made their way through. They really helped. We couldn’t have done it without them, but nothing is foolproof.

Q: I see that you used seed pods and gourds for the garland, but what’s the white-dotted vine?

A: It’s a garland from a floral supply shop that we added natural elements to.

Q: Anything else a do-it-yourselfer should know besides “start at the bottom, overlap the pads like shingles, and use smaller pads as you go higher”?

A: That’s pretty much it, except that we ended up using a lot more pads than we originally anticipated…probably by twice as many!  Also, as you mentioned, it’s a lot of weight so we really needed to secure the tree frame wherever we could and secure it tightly to the base.

Q: What are you going to do with all those pads when you take down the tree?

A: Being a lover of succulents and succulent gardening, the pads will come back home with me and be planted in my yard!

Related Info on This Site:

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Decorate a Cactus with Holiday Lights, Step-by-Step Amazing tips

These DIY step-by-step instructions correspond to my YouTube video: Decorate a Cactus with Holiday Lights

Inspired by my friend Sabine’s holiday succulent garden, I decided to light up a succulent of my own. The resulting potted ferocactus is the holiday centerpiece for a patio table visible from my kitchen and dining room. The plant’s translucent spines glow when light shines through them, creating a fascinating display. I painted the pot to match the gold of the spines so the tabletop display would look good during the day as well as at night.

Ferocactus glaucescens in a gold-painted, terra-cotta pot glows with mini lights.

Here’s how I did it, step-by-step.

If you’re decorating an in-ground cactus or one that’s already in a pot, skip to #7.

My ferocactus is shaped like a pumpkin and is 7 inches in diameter (including spines).

Step #1: Select a spherical, long-spined cactus from the nursery. I chose Ferocactus glaucescens because its spines are quite long, and I like the plant’s blue-green color. In retrospect, I would have counted the number of ribs and gotten a barrel cactus with 10. This one has 12—two more than the number of lights in the package. But most arrangements are viewed mainly from one side, so the “dark” side is in the back, along with the battery pack.

Step #2: Choose a pot or container that’s in scale with the plant. I went with a new terra-cotta pot because I wanted something clean and simple that would elevate the plant, and that I could paint the same gold as the spines.

Tools and materials include long handled tweezers, a soft brush, a wood chopstick, mini lights, kitchen scissors, gold stones, floral pins, a disposable paintbrush, gold paint and water sealant.

Step #3: Head for the craft store. At my local Michael’s, I bought gold “patio paint,” a disposable brush, floral (“greening”) pins, and battery-operated lights. I already had a wood chopstick, a can of Thompson’s Water Seal, long-handled tweezers and the kitchen scissors I use for gardening.

Step #4: Paint the outside and inner rim of the pot with outdoor craft paint and spray the inside with the waterproofing sealer.

Step #5: Gauge the size of the plant’s rootball in relation to the shape and depth of the pot. Add soil (I simply used pumice—up to you) if you’ll need filler for the bottom. Otherwise you risk plopping the plant into the container and finding it sits too high or too low. Which means picking up the !@#$% porcupine again.

Step #6: Extract the plant from its nursery pot and plop it into the new pot. This is tricky. You can’t touch the plant, and I didn’t want to dump it out because that might get soil on it that would be difficult to remove or worse, break spines. I also didn’t want to pull on a heavy plant and risk detaching it from its roots. So I cut the plastic pot away from the rootball, using the kitchen scissors, resulting in a plant-plus-rootball I still needed to get into the pot. I knew garden gloves were useless with spines like those, so I improvised with a long-handled bathroom brush and tightly crumpled newspaper. Using them to push against it, lifted the plant. (Memo to self: Get a second bathroom brush.)

Step #7: Settle the plant in the pot. I adjusted it a bit using the bathroom brush and newspaper, then pushed down on the soil along the rim with the tips of my long-handled tweezers.

Step #8: Turn on the mini-lights to make sure they work. Start with the light on the end of the string and, using the long-handled tweezers, tuck it between two ribs, under the lowest spines. Use floral pins to secure the wires and conceal them. Remember they’re there when it comes time to remove the lights or repot the plant. The pins will rust in the soil and… Step #8.5: Get a tetanus shot.

Gold rocks are $14 for 1.65-lb jar. Small pebbles would work as well.

Step #9: Add topdressing. I used gold rocks that I found online. Wait a week to water it. Cactus roots really shouldn’t be watered immediately after planting because broken roots are more vulnerable to rot.

Step #10: Place it where you can see it at night. Take photos and post them on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @DebraLBaldwin. I’d love to see what you come up with!

This is how the cactus looks after dark.

 

And at anytime, it looks like a snowflake.

Watch me make it on YouTube: Decorate a Cactus with Holiday Lights DIY. 

Related Info on This Site:

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