See Debra’s Garden Amazing tips

Welcome to my site's "Debra's Garden" page. Here you'll find names of important plants in my own, half-acre succulent garden, from my new 15-min. video: See My Idea-Filled Succulent Spring Garden.

The video came about as a result of my garden looking amazingly beautiful after a rainy April here in Southern CA. I kept taking photos. Then I took videos. Then I remembered that subscribers had asked for a tour of my garden. So I sorted through years of photos, selecting those that best tell the story. A few turned into "before" shots that show how succulents grow over time.

Octopus agaves, rosea ice plant and yuccas tough it out on the garden's steep, sunbaked, streetside bank.

The garden saw me grow, too. I started out loving flowers (I still do) then moved on to appreciating longer-lasting aspects of plants, such as form and foliage. What's gorgeous about Debra's Garden now is fairly ephemeral---all that color---but its bones are good.

Watching the video surprises even me. You know how it is when you're around something so long, you no longer see it? It's called "familiarity blindness." To change perspective, view your garden through a camera lens, picture frame or hand mirror. Things that need improving may jump out at you, but you'll also gasp at the beauty you see afresh.

I narrate the video with garden lovers in mind, and succulent aficionados in particular. Some info is region-specific, but many tips apply anywhere. Of course, a garden is ever-changing. Today's leaves are tomorrow's mulch. But now, no matter what happens to my garden (neglect, wildfire, being sold with the house, or having even more money poured into it), it'll always be May Day, 2020. I'm glad you asked me to do it.

Now on YouTube: A 15-min video of my own half-acre succulent garden

Here's the intro...

For accompanying photos and video, head on over to YouTube.

"Here in the dry, rocky foothills northeast of San Diego, it’s a constant challenge to maintain a green, weed-free, tidy yard. But those of us who see plants as fascinating and rewarding don’t just have yards, we have gardens. If you’re one of us, especially if you love succulents, this video is for you. 

"My own garden's challenges include frost that turns plants to mush, high heat that burns and desiccates them, and nutrient poor, decomposed granite-and-clay soil. The terrain is steep, so erosion and access are issues. But all those rocks make great terraces; compost and mulch are free for the asking; and I’m blessed to have help with heavy lifting, pruning, hauling and digging.

"Best of all, during my career as a photojournalist and author, I’ve been privileged to interview knowledgeable plantsmen, garden designers and creative homeowners. I’ve applied a lot of what I’ve learned to my own garden. I grow the plants I write about. My garden is both sanctuary and laboratory..." 

View the video

debra's garden: important plants 

Don't see what you're looking for? Have a question? Leave a comment below or on the video's YouTube page, and I'll help if I can.

Aeonium 'Kiwi'

Aeonium haworthii, Agave parryi 'Truncata'

Aeoniums

Agave 'Blue Flame'

Agave 'Blue Glow'

Agave americana 'Marginata'

Agave attenuata, walking sansevieria

Octopus agaves, rosea ice plant and yuccas tough it out on my garden's steep, sunbaked, streetside bank.

Agave weberi

Aloe arborescens

Aloe nobilis, Cistanthe grandiflora

Aloe nobilis

Blue Senecio mandraliscae, golden euonymus, aeoniums

California poppies, Centranthus ruber

Climbing 'Altissimo' rose

Crassula multicava

Dasylirion wheeleri, Agave 'Blue Flame'

Euphorbia rigida

Golden euonymus

Graptosedums and others from cuttings

Lampranthus 'Lemon', Drosanthemum floribundum

Lavender

Metal flowers by Mark Rafter

Mexican feather grass

Nasturtiums

Opuntia sp., Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea'

Pacific Coast native iris (Iris douglasiana)

Sedum praealtum

Sparaxis tricolor

Sunset jade (Crassula ovata 'Hummel's Sunset')

Wisteria

Yucca aloifolia

Zonal geranium, Lampranthus deltoides

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Don’t Let a Heat Wave Ruin Your Succulents Amazing tips

Don't let a sudden heat wave ruin your succulents! Case in point: Much of April here in Southern CA was rainy with highs in the 50s. Now, coming into the last week of April, the forecast is for temps in the 90s. (What, pray tell, happened to the 60s, 70s and 80s?)

This is bad news for our gardens. Tender new plant growth resulting from rainstorms needs time to toughen. When a heat wave follows cool weather, succulents exposed to hot sun may burn. There's no fixing the beige or brown patches that result from sunburn. One of the best things about succulents is also the worst: they keep their leaves for a long time. Damage may be visible for quite a while.

I propped a window screen against this west-facing window box to help a newly planted echeveria acclimate to greater sun exposure. I removed the screen a week later during a convenient stretch of cloudy weather.

Two ways to protect your succulents

1. Move them. Of course this is only possible if they're in pots. But don't forget to do it! Move plants out of harsh midday sun and provide more shady hours daily.
2. Cover them. This is advisable for delicate, thin-leaved, in-ground succulents---in particular those you prize---and anything newly planted. Protect echeverias, kalanchoes, dainty sedums, sansevierias, sempervivums, caudiciforms, and chubby and Medusa euphorbias (among others). Use floating row cover ideally; or shade cloth, old sheets or screens. Remove as temps return to normal.

No need to worry about...

Tougher succulents like ice plants, cacti, crassulas, elephant's food, beaucarneas, senecios, yuccas, and large aloes and agaves will probably be OK. But every plant is different. Variegates, for example, tend to scorch more easily due to less protective pigment.

It may surprise you that the only succulent in the photo likely to sunburn is the furcraea at upper right. Its thin, variegated leaves are highly susceptible. The others---such as lampranthus ice plant, Aloe cameronii, blue senecio and firesticks---are generally not at risk except in desert climates.

Watch the video

Be sure to watch my 10-min. video: Protect Your Succulents from High Heat and Sun. On an 89-degree day I take you on a tour of my garden in the foothills NE of San Diego. You'll see what's in bloom, lookin' good (or sadly dreadful), and watch as I check the health of succulents small and large.

See how I evaluate my own succulents during and after heat spells.

 

Watch the video

Related Info on this site

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 More

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Make Succulent Doorstep Baskets Amazing tips

Succulent doorstep baskets are a great way to say "I'm thinking of you! Happy spring!" to neighbors, friends and nearby loved ones. These gift baskets delight all who see them. By showing recipients they're cherished, you both feel connected---which is so important during uncertain times.

Cuttings are fine, but if you need plants, nurseries near you may be open (call first) or you can shop for succulents online. Check my site for reader recommendations; one high-rated mail-order source is Mountain Crest Gardens.

The gift baskets here are by me or by designers whose work I admire. Links take you to helpful pages here on my site or videos on my YouTube channel. Find additional ideas in my books, Pinterest boards and on this site's Container Gardens page.

Succulent Gift Basket DIY

Materials:

• Basket, pot or container
• Succulent cuttings or nursery plants
• Potting soil
• Heavy plastic for lining (optional)
• Dry moss (optional)
• Ribbon (optional)

Method:

A basket may deteriorate from prolonged exposure to moisture, so line it with heavy mil plastic (i.e. a trash bag; see how to do it). Poke a few holes for drainage, or advise the recipient to water it infrequently, only enough to moisten the roots. Fill the container with potting soil, then insert cuttings for a lush look. If using nursery succulents, plant them as you would in any container, or simply tuck them---still in their pots---into the basket. Use moss to conceal pot rims and gaps. Add ribbon for a finishing touch.

Echeveria basket

See how this lovely basket of echeverias came together in my video: How to Plant a Succulent Gift Basket with Echeverias (3:29).

Use a repurposed container

Planted watering can

A brightly painted watering can makes a delightful pot for succulents and purple tradescantia. Design by Megan Boone for Serra Gardens nursery.

Make a cactus basket

Cactus basket

Many small, rotund cacti bloom in spring. These mammillarias are still in their nursery pots.

take my "Stunning Succulent Arrangements" class

A floral-style arrangement of succulents in a repurposed berry bowl is one of the projects in my online class, Stunning Succulent Arrangements. Plants include trailing rosary vine, echeverias and sedum.

My "Stunning Succulent Arrangements" class is a professionally produced, online seminar from BluPrint, a leading source of virtual DIY classes. In seven hand's-on sessions, I cover succulent basics, and show how to make a color wheel succulent container, a floral-style arrangement, a special-occasion bouquet, terrariums, wreaths, and a low-light composition for shade or indoors.

Learn More: Debra's Online Design Class

succulent basket design ideas

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