Baldwin - Succulents simplified: growing, designing and crafting with 100 easy-care varieties

Succulents Simplified

DEBRA LEE BALDWIN

TIMBER PRESS
Portland London

: Succulents range in size from ground covers to trees that look like something by Dr. Seuss.

Copyright 2013 by Debra Lee Baldwin. All rights reserved. Photo and design credits appear on .

Published in 2013 by Timber Press, Inc.

The Haseltine Building

133 S.W. Second Avenue, Suite 450

Portland, Oregon 97204-3527

timberpress.com

2 The Quadrant

135 Salusbury Road

London NW6 6RJ

timberpress.co.uk

eISBN: 9781604695168

A catalog record for this book is also available from the British Library.

To Sandi, Denise, and Patti

For their generosity, time, and expertise, I gratefully acknowledge Ken Altman and the staff of Altman Plants, Vista, CA; horticulturist Patrick Anderson; succulent and floral designer Cindy Davison of The Succulent Perch; and Robin Stockwell of Succulent Gardens, Castroville, CA.

For contributing photos, my thanks go to David Cristiani, The Quercus Group, Albuquerque, NM; Marialuisa Kaprielian, Succulently Urban, San Diego; Cristin Bisbee Priest, Simplified Bee, San Francisco; Genevieve Schmidt Landscape Design, Humbolt County, CA; Cate Schotl and Kristi Collyer, Green Thumb Garage, Laguna Niguel, CA; Joe Stead of Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA; David Winger of Plant Select, CO; and Kit Wertz and Casey Schwartz of FlowerDuet, Los Angeles.

Designers, nurseries, artists, horticulturists, and collectors whose skills and creativity enhance these pages include Akana Design; Randy Baldwin, San Marcos Growers; Charles and Debbie Ball; Gary Bartl; Sydney Baumgartner; Jim Bishop; Michael and Joyce Buckner, The Plant Man nursery; Brandon Bullard, Desert Theater; R. C. Cohen; Elisabeth Crouch; Davis Dalbok; Linda Estrin; Laura Eubanks; Robyn Foreman; Good Earth Nursery; Larry Grammer and the Thongthiraj sisters of California Cactus Center nursery; Marylyn Henderson; Don Hunt; Tom Jesch, Waterwise Botanicals nursery; Peter and Margaret Jones; Tony Krock, Terra Sol Garden Center; Randy Laurie; Matthew Maggio; Cara Meyers, DIG Gardens nursery; Patt Miller; Stephanie Mills; Frank Mitzel; Jeff Moore, Solana Succulents nursery; Bill Munkacsy; Susan Munn; Hanh Nguyen; Trang Nguyen, Exquisite Orchids and Succulents; Monika Nochisaki; Oasis Water Efficient Gardens; Frank and Susan Oddo; Jeff Pavlat; Rainbow Gardens nursery; Ravenna Gardens; Rogers Gardens; Mary Rodriguez; Michael and Danielle Romero; Suzy Schaefer; Carolyn and Herb Schaer; Seaside Gardens nursery; Kathy Short and Patti Canoles; Jill Sullivan; Eric Swadell; Rebecca Sweet; Keith Kitoi Taylor; Melissa Teisl and Jon Hawley, Chicweed; Char Vert; Peter Walkowiak; Nick Wilkinson, GROW nursery; and Lila Yee.

Many thanks as well to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; the Cactus and Succulent Society of America; the San Diego Botanic Garden; the San Diego Horticultural Society; Sherman Gardens, Corona del Mar, CA; South Coast Botanic Garden, Palos Verdes, CA; and Tohono Chul Park, Tucson, AZ.

Last but not least, I am grateful for above-and-beyond help from my editor, Lorraine Anderson; from my publisher, Timber Press; and from my beloved husband and tech hound, Jeff Walz.

When people ask me how I became interested in succulents, I tell them I toured an amazing succulent garden on assignment for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Horticulturist Patrick Anderson and his aloe garden opened my eyes to the beauty of succulents and their potential in garden design.

Yet even as I say this, around the edges of my awareness floats a much earlier memory. I was eight or nine years old when I went with my mother to a home in a wealthy community for an occasion I dont remember. When we returned home, my mother described the house to my father: Big picture windows, but imagine having to clean them. Views of the golf course, but the property is too steep. Surrounded by trees, but they shed leaves and bark. Big deck off the living room, but no garden.

No garden? There had been an astonishing one, in pots on the deck, with plants unlike any Id seen before. They looked like eels, starfish, and coral. One was a perfect little sphere with a green-and-maroon herringbone pattern. Others were necklaces of blue-gray buttons, rubbery silver-blue roses, and sticks of green chalk with windowed tips.

My mother concluded wistfully, Maybe someday Debbie will have a house like that. Why would I want it, I wondered, if it came with dirty windows, messy trees, and near-vertical land? On the other hand, who wouldnt want that deck garden? It became something I longed for, along with a saltwater aquarium, a hot air balloon, and an unlimited supply of chocolate marshmallows.

I no longer want any of those, but succulents continue to seduce me. Im that little girl again when I see a succulent I havent seen before, or even a well-grown one I may have seen dozens of times. You might assume I have a vast collection, and although I do own dozens of varieties, I dont consider myself a collector. Fascination need not be possession. Im equally happy looking at succulents in a nursery, at a show, or in someone elses garden. In particular, I enjoy capturing and recording succulents myriad shapes and textures with my camera.

For most of my career, Ive written about all sorts of plants. Words are still my first love, but nothing describes a plant or a garden as well as a photo. As I practice this art form, I often think of how photography means writing with light. Camera in hand, I circle a succulent, looking for the best light. In slanted early morning or late afternoon sun, red margins burn neon bright, spines incandesce, fuzzy filaments shimmer, and leaves reveal glowing hues of rose, orange, purple, and blue. As you might imagine, it was difficult to winnow the selection of photos for this book. So many have merit, or illustrate an important point, and I was continually thinking, But I have to show them this one!

This, my third book about succulents, is a kind of prequel to the previous two. Its a guide for novice enthusiasts, a quick reference for anyone seeking an overview, and a vehicle for presenting design ideas Im excited about. Throughout, I share my perspective on a subject that has become my passion.

explains succulents many desirable qualities and suggests how you might use the plants to enhance your garden, regardless of its size. Youll discover how top garden designers use succulents as a three-dimensional palette. In addition to whats practical and beautiful, I delve into the bizarre, eye-catching, and collectible. Youll also find out how to keep your succulents looking as good as the day you brought them home from the nursery. These plants survive neglect but when well tended show their gratitude by being even more glorious.