Designing with Succulents

Succulent plants offer dazzling possibilities for garden design. From the undulating lines of Agave americana 'Marginata' to the frilly-leaved rosettes of Echeveria hybrids, succulents come in sculptural shapes, intriguing textures, and sizzling colors. Better still, these elegant plants—which survive drought by storing water in their leaves, stems, or roots—require only minimal maintenance to remain lush and alluring year round.
Featuring the work of more than 50 professional garden designers and creative homeowners in dozens of private and public succulent gardens and containers, this complete design compendium is as practical as it is inspirational. Lavishly illustrated with over 300 photographs, it gives design and cultivation basics for paths, borders, slopes, and containers; hundreds of succulent plant recommendations; and descriptions of 90 easy-care, drought-tolerant companion plants. A chapter on growing succulents in cold climates identifies those that thrive in zones 8 and below. The comprehensive "plant Palette" is an especially helpful resource, encompassing tall, treelike, and immense succulents and companion annuals, bulbs, ground covers, perennials, trees, shrubs, grasses, and vines.
The succulent gardener's canvas holds rich possibilities; here beginners and experienced designers, landscapers, and collectors alike will find what they need to visualize, create, and nurture the three dimensional work of art that is the succulent garden.

Succulent plants offer dazzling possibilities for garden design and require only minimal maintenance to remain lush and alluring year round. Featuring the work of more than 50 professional garden designers and creative homeowners, with hundreds of plant recommendations, this lavishly illustrated, practical guide is a design essential.

Maureen Gilmer - Weekend Gardening

"...easy to understand writing style is user friendly to the backyard gardener, yet the breadth of information is just as appealing to the expert. Baldwin should be commended for what might be the best succulent landscaping book written to date."

Award-winning garden photojournalist Debra Lee Baldwin wrote Designing with Succulents (2007) and Succulent Container Gardens (2010), both bestsellers. She is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times and major gardening magazines. Debra’s specialty is showing how top designers use these architectural, waterwise, low-maintenance plants in a wide variety of creative, eye-catching applications.

Debra has presented at the Huntington Botanical Gardens, the Denver Botanic Garden, and major flower shows in Philadelphia, Seattle, and San Francisco, to name a few of many prestigious venues. Her own garden near San Diego has been featured in Sunset, Better Homes & Gardens, the San Diego Union-Tribune, and other publications.

Succulents, which store water in fleshy leaves and stems to survive periods of drought, offer spectacular blooms and foliage of every color—including cherry red, sky blue, and purple-black. In her books and presentations, Debra introduces various types of succulents, discusses their care, describes what makes each interesting and unique, and explains how to create lovely, low-water gardens and containers. With Debra’s expert guidance, you’ll soon discover how to use these easy-care, sculptural plants to beautifully express your personal style. More info: www.debraleebaldwin.com and www.succulentchic.net.