Saguaro Feliz: See Rich Zeh’s 30-Year Succulent & Cactus Collection Amazing tips

I'm eager to share with you my recent visit with a remarkable succulent collector---Rich Zeh.

Located in the community of Paradise Valley on the outskirts of Phoenix, Rich's landscaped garden encompasses an acre. In my new video, Rich takes us through the garden and his 960-square-foot, 20-foot-high greenhouse.

“I had a backhoe dig down 10 feet and had block walls installed,” he says of the latter. Along the greenhouse's interior walls are in-ground planters that enable certain desirable (and occasionally finicky) plants to stretch their roots. Consequently they grow more robustly than in pots.

As for Rich's extensive potted collection, you'll see succulents that have attained impressive size from being grafted onto a host plant. But such specimens have their own challenges, he says, explaining why he prefers "plants that grow on their own roots."

Aloes vera in cactus garden (c) Rich Zeh

Aloes in Rich's cactus garden

Rich accumulated his Aladdin’s trove of rarities over 30 years. "I'm pretty much maxed out on space," he says of a collection reminiscent of a Cactus & Succulent Society show. (He belongs to the Central Arizona C&SS, which when Covid isn't an issue, typically holds a show and sale in spring.)

For both my YouTube video and the gallery below, I combined photos taken during my visit with others provided by Rich. All show his plants looking their best, many in bloom.

No doubt you’ll enjoy, as I did, Rich's descriptions of succulents he’s nurtured for decades. You'll hear him explain how he keeps them healthy, where they came from, and what he likes best (or finds challenging) about numerous specimens.

Btw, much of Rich's garden is underneath the lacy canopies of palo verde trees, which were in bloom when I was there. You’ll see yellow flowers overhead and dry petals in drifts along pathways. Heaven!