At my Designing with Succulents presentations, I’m often asked “what’s the best soil mix?” If you’re doing only a pot or two, simply buy a bag of cactus mix. Otherwise, combine any bagged potting soil half-and-half with pumice. (For the garden, mix equal parts garden soil, pumice, gritty sand like decomposed granite, and compost.) Crushed pumice (lava[...]

I’m not making any apologies for the, uh, shall we say the more “robust” nature of several plants in my garden. Plume poppy (Macleaya cordata) is certainly one of them. The exuberance of its architectural pizzazz is matched, or nearly so, by the plant’s tendency to travel. I’m not saying it’s invasive-I try to stay away from anything that spreads rampantly[...]

Summer is done – and so is the photo contest. As is always the case with a photo contest, the fun is in seeing all the entries.  I smiled as I opened them and each made me wonder about the gardens, wanting to see more.  Indeed I was delighted to visit the blogs of those[...]

Admittedly, this year’s Succulent Extravaganza at Succulent Gardens nursery near San Francisco was a bit of a blur for me. When I arrived, I quickly assembled plants and supplies for the two presentations I was giving; set up the book table and signed and sold books; and briefly said hello to friends I see just once or twice[...]