One of the great things about being a horticulturist specializing in succulents is that I’m part of a worldwide community of like-minded enthusiasts. Case in point is an email I received this week from Jeremy Proctor, who lives in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. He had visited South Africa and sent me a link to [...]
succulent plants
Warm Wishes from GGW
December 20, 2012 – Posted in: Garden Plants, Perennials, SucculentsNature is astonishing, isn’t it? How delightfully ironic that the flowers of many cacti resemble water lilies and the tops of some, snowflakes. Here are 18 examples to warm you this chilly season. Apologies to cactiphiles; I wasn’t able to identify all of them. If you would like to provide one or more IDs, please do! — [...]
Succulent Extravaganza Recap
October 4, 2012 – Posted in: Garden Adventures, SucculentsSee the seahorse? It’s sempervivums planted in vertical panels. This was one of many lovely and unusual sights at the second annual Succulent Extravaganza at Succulent Gardens nursery in Castroville, CA last week. A terrace at the nursery is planted with Agave ‘Blue Glow’ (foreground) and Agave ‘Blue Flame’ (background). One-third of my forthcoming book, [...]
Companion Plants for Succulents
September 21, 2012 – Posted in: Garden Design, SucculentsAt this month’s Succulent Extravaganza, Sept. 28 and 29 at Succulent Gardens near San Francisco, I’ll be speaking about companion plants for succulents that vary from ground covers to trees. Many grow in my own garden near San Diego. Two examples are above: orange California poppies (an annual) and blue fescue, a perennial that [...]
How to Create a Succulent Tide Pool Garden
August 20, 2012 – Posted in: Garden AdventuresAn article I scouted and wrote for Sunset is in all regional editions of the September issue. (Most Southern CA garden articles appear in the Southern CA edition only.) One reason is Brett Gum’s gorgeous photography. These are my own photos here. The location is a bluff-top home in the Orange County community of Corona del [...]