Saguaro Feliz: 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