Becky Sell of Sedum Chicks plants cold-hardy succulents in repurposed wood-and-metal containers, hypertufa pots, wreaths and more. She grows the plants, too, where she lives in Turner, Oregon, near the Washington border. Becky’s compositions can overwinter outdoors in northerly climates (Zones 4 to 8), providing the potting medium drains well. Cold-hardy succulents such as stonecrops[...]
Tips from a Top Container Garden Designer
– Posted in: Succulents February 16, 2018Melissa Teisl of Fresh Chic is the designer whose artistry I show most in my book, Succulent Container Gardens Melissa and her mom, Susan, had a floral shop in Solana Beach, CA when I met them in ’07. Then Susan retired, and Melissa (with partner Jon Hawley) launched CW Design & Landscaping, specializing in gorgeous in-ground gardens. But container gardens are[...]
Succulent Color Wheel in Garden Design
– Posted in: Succulents January 21, 2018I’m proud and pleased to announce that the winter issue (now shipping) of Garden Design, the premier magazine about the aesthetics of gardening, features my “Stunning Succulent Arrangements” online class and includes a photo of one of its seven projects—the Succulent Color Wheel.* For the color wheel, you’ll need a large pot saucer and about[...]
Echeverias, the Loveliest of Succulents
– Posted in: Succulents January 6, 2018UPDATE: Dick Wright wants to thank everyone who has contacted him as a result of this post and my YouTube series. He’s been swamped with inquiries, so please be patient. “It’s wonderful, but I can’t keep up with them all,” he says. Providing a list of plants is difficult because, “I don’t know what we’ll[...]
Succulents as Firebreak
– Posted in: Succulents December 21, 2017Dr. Camille Newton of Bonsall, CA, texted me immediately after the Lilac Fire to say that eight homes on her street had been destroyed, yet hers was unharmed. “Succulents saved the day,” she said. Such reports aren’t unprecedented. Suzy Schaefer’s succulent garden in Rancho Santa Fe “saved our home,” she told me (and national media) after the Witch[...]