Photos and text copyright (c) Debra Lee Baldwin. All rights reserved.

Ever since I changed my house plants to succulents, I no longer

give a neighbor a key to my house to come and

water my potted plants when I’m

away.

I water my succulents before I

leave, and they're fine for two

weeks or more. These are

plants that don't miss you

when you're gone.

Most succulents are frost-

tender and can't handle a lot

of rain, so growing them in the

ground in cold, wet climates

can be challenging.

Pots provide the ideal

solution. Because containers are

portable, they make it possible for

you to overwinter your living

jewels indoors.

Because succulents come from dry habitats, the

key to keeping them happy and healthy is to make sure their roots

are never soggy.

Both of my books, Designing with Succulents and Succulent Container Gardens, have chapters that

detail succulent care and cultivation. You also will find more information at www.debraleebaldwin.com.

Care and Cultivation

Soil needs to drain rapidly. Use "cactus mix" (sold bagged at any nursery), or regular potting soil

mixed half and half with pumice (shown here) or perlite.

These are tough plants, used to rigorous conditions. Most succulents will thrive if you do little

more than give them plenty of sunlight (but not so much that it scorches the leaves), keep them

warm and dry, and let the soil go nearly dry between waterings.

One of the marvelous things about succulents is their ease of propagation. Agaves produce

pups---young plants that spring up from roots that are near the surface of the soil.

Most other succulents can easily be started from cuttings, similar to geraniums. Cut the stem,

leaving several inches of leaves, and let the cut end heal. Then put the cutting in loose, friable

soil. It’s that easy.