Jodi and John Visosky's garden in Spring Valley, CA, showcases thousands of mature succulents on nearly an acre. Although the landscaping looks decades old, the large plants have been there fewer than five years.
How's that possible? The couple rescue and re-home cacti and succulents that are up for grabs. Most had become too big for their former locations. Jodi finds out about them through fellow members of the San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society (SDCSS). She also gets unique, rare or unusual plants at sales and SDCSS events.
The New "Jodi" video
Jodi's passion for succulents is delightful and endearing, and she sparkles with tips and hard-won knowledge. The succulents you'll see are equally impressive, as is the garden's 180-degree views. Joining us is succulent expert and grower Rick Bjorklund.
If you're here for the gallery of Jodi's noteworthy succulents, all ID'd, scroll down. I've included more than 50!
Honored by the CSSA
It's a tribute to what Jodi and John have accomplished that their garden is on tour during the Cactus & Succulent Society of America's Biennial Convention, April 23-27, 2025 -- an event that draws enthusiasts worldwide.
The day we filmed the video: Yours truly, Rick Bjorklund (SDCSS Show Chair) and Rita Lunceford (SDCSS Sales Chair)
Wanda Mallen's renowned garden also is on the tour. Wanda says of Jodi: "She hasn’t been gardening long, but she’s jumped into it all the way. Plus she’s very generous and just a wonderful person. She has a lot of garden art she’s created, which adds a fun, colorful touch. [Succulent gardening is] all about learning, and then just having fun. Don’t be intimated. These are forgiving plants."
Q&A with Jodi
I figured you'd want more from Jodi, so we did a Q&A with info not in the video. If you have questions, do post them in the comments below or on YouTube.
DLB: How many species of succulents do you have?
JV: "We have so many hundreds of plants that we've lost count. You don't see a lot of plants in pots because I tend to overwater pots. My experience is that when I plant them in the ground, they are much more forgiving of my over- and under-watering tendencies.
Among Jodi's favorite succulents are mangaves, many of which come from hybridizer Hans Hansen's Mad About Magave collection. This is Mangave 'Femme Fatale'.
"John thinks I should have two or three of each species 'just in case,' so you'll see lots of repetition. Early on I just wanted everything. Now I find myself removing plants and replacing them with something different. I'm trying for more diversity. I think it's the natural progression of a collector. You go from 'give me everything' to 'I'm looking for the unique and cool.'"
Jodi's garden in April. Aloe camperi 'Cornuta' is in bloom
DLB: Do you get frost?
JV: "We're at about 900 feet elevation and have a unique little microclimate. We are usually warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than at the base of the mountain. This prevents us from ever getting frost. We haven't dipped below high 30's in the 20 years we've been here."
DLB: What is the soil like, and how do you amend it?
This is how one prospective garden area looked after they cleared chaparral and before they spread a thick layer of mulch prior to planting
JV: "Our soil is mostly decomposed granite. I don't usually amend it with anything for succulents. I'll just use the potting soil in the nursery pot, and mix it a little with the native soil. For cactus I may add more DG. Different game for the Australian plants, which have slightly different requirements. For them, I mix the native soil with DG or sand and some peat."
DLB: Would you explain more about watering?
JV: "It's all by hand except for a couple of areas close to the house that had existing sprinkler systems. Those go off for 2 or 3 minutes twice a week. We use two 2-gallon watering cans. I truly do not water any succulents after a few months in the ground, unless we are due for a heat spell. Pots are a different story, they get watered every week in the summer.
"Mainly what I water are the newly planted Australian natives. They need to be watered at least once a week, which takes me at least three hours.
Nonsucculent ornamental shrubs, like this protea, need more water---especially when newly planted.
"We do capture water from the house (while waiting for the shower, and dish rinsing water). I'll pick a succulent to water just to use the water.
"I probably would water everything if we had a hose that reached. We don't. This is not ideal, and I wouldn't recommend my system to anyone. I would love to at least have hose bibs located throughout the property so everything is reachable by a hose when needed. But I don't think everything needs regular water....they'd grow too fast!"
DLB: How do you control weeds?
JV: "We use tons of mulch. We get truckloads of it from either the Miramar landfill or from ChipDrop. We initially spread it over 6 inches deep. It has been a game changer. Often I use decorative rocks right against the plant and then mulch everywhere else.
A Aloe vanbalenii cutting planted in thick mulch.
"We manually pull weeds, a 5-gallon bucket each day. That's our goal. We have used spray on tough stuff along the road and for sumac. Over years of pulling and mulching, the landscaped areas are much better. We recently had to clear a lot of native material along our property lines. We'll maintain that with regular weed whacking."
DLB: How about unwelcome critters? Rattlesnakes?
JV: "Our biggest problem is rabbits. When it gets hot and dry, they attack everything. The only thing that works is to protect the plant with chicken wire.
Unfortunately, rabbits like mangaves
"We use traps for squirrels, which are killed. We see two or three rattlers a year. I am careful to keep plants away from the foundation, don't let weeds get out of control, and I'm always on the lookout. We have an agreement that if it’s close to the house, the rattlesnake gets killed....or we call our neighbor who is a reptile expert, and he moves it further on the property. If they are more than 100 feet from the house, we just let them be.
"Mice and rats get trapped. John has over 20 traps set at any time, especially in my shade building because mice destroy delicate, special things. The shade building is 10 by 20 feet. It's a former walk-in chicken coop atop cinderblocks to make it tall enough, covered with shade material. Works great for everything except mice."
I could have done a video just on Jodi's shade house. Next time?
DLB: Are you going to add trees for shade, and if so, what kind?
JV: "We recently cut down two extremely large and messy pine trees. They weren't useful because everything under them got covered in needles and soot. We have a real concern for fire so we're going to plant trees for their ornamental appeal, but not close to the house. I've already planted three acacias, two African tulip trees and a Tipuana. No irrigation, so I have to pick drought-tolerant trees."
DLB: How long have you been retired?
JV: "I retired in 2021. John retired in 2011."
DLB: What is your long-term goal for your garden?
JV: "The goal is to create an easy-to-maintain, drought-tolerant garden that we can leave for a few weeks and that'll still be alive when we get home. We're getting there slowly."
A newly planted section of the garden includes a rescued barrel cactus, a tree aloe (upper left), a ferocactus (foreground, yellow fruit), a blue pilosocereus, and two of Jodi's mosaic'd bowling balls.
DLB: What percentage of the plants did you obtain from CSS sales, swaps and meetings?
JV: "I would say 75 percent of all the succulents in the garden have been rescues or swaps. I have over 50 golden barrel cactus and have probably purchased three. I get unique, rare or unusual plants from sales and SDCSS events. All the Aussie plants and half the mangaves were purchased. I don't buy anything over a 5-gallon, so if it's a big plant, chances are we rescued it."
DLB: What are your favorite plants? Best performers?
JV: "I am a sucker for anything that blooms, but my favorite plants are mangaves. Second are proteas. The best performers are the columnar cactus. They bloom several times a year with zero supplemental water, especially the pilosocereus."
A red trichocereus blooms alongside Agave guiengola 'Moto Sierra' in April
DLB: What would you advise someone planning a garden amid chaparral?
JV: "Our advice is to think about access, like pathways, and how to access the area for maintenance. Once you clear the natives, prepare the area by mulching heavily, 6-12 inches. Then wait six months. The mulch kills weeds and conditions the soil.
"I'm proof that permanent irrigation isn't required, but you will have to pick plants that are drought tolerant once established."
DLB: Would you say you have a lot of rarities?
"We have many different things and many mature plants, but not truly rare, especially if in the ground. Rescuing or sharing doesn't often happen with truly rare stuff. Most plants in the video can be found in San Diego nurseries [or online -- DLB]"
Not rare in Southern CA: A. attenuata, A. macroacantha, A. 'Cream Spike'
DLB: Do you welcome CSS members who'd like to visit your garden, by appointment?
JV: "We love having people visit. I've met so many amazing people and have formed friendships because of plants, and I love to share and give back. Parking is tough out here, so I don't have big events. Private small groups are best. They can contact me anytime."
His nursery is among those on tour.*
