Fred and Paul's one-of-a-kind succulent garden

You know what they say about mullets: business in the front, party in the back. What does that have to do with gardens, you might ask? You’ll see.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the garden of Fred and Paul, members of the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society who had been at my open garden in early March. 

Fred and Paul in their backyard

Fred and Paul live in a mid-century modern house built in 1959 which they bought almost 13 years ago. At that time, there was lawn everywhere: in the front, along the side, and in the back. At the end of this post, I’ll show you some Google Street View images from 2011. The difference between then and now is startling.

Fred and Paul’s house from the street

The red heart is made of PVC pipe and foam pool noodles. It’s a beloved landmark in the neighborhood.

In keeping with the house’s sleek architecture, Fred and Paul created a modern, almost minimalistic garden in the front. It’s dominated by concrete paths, steps, and planters with straight lines and right angles. Maybe it was the overall geometry or the choice of black lava and gray gravel, but I immediately thought of Palm Springs. I was right on the money – as it turns out, Fred and Paul used to own a house in Palm Springs!

Wide expanses of virgin real estate: That’s a level of restraint I find admirable because I would never be able to have that kind of discipline.

But color has begun to encroach on the monochromatic aesthetic:

A recently planted cactus and succulent bed in front of the house is proof positive that the days of business-like minimalism are numbered:

The color scheme alone – warm tones vs. the cool gray of the concrete, lava rock, and gravel elsewhere – shows that Fred and Paul are headed in a different direction.

While this bed isn’t crammed the way it would be in my garden, it demonstrates an exuberance that isn’t evident in the unplanted expanses you saw earlier.

But that’s just the beginning. Consider it a light appetizer to the main course yet to come.

Before we continue, here’s a satellite image of Fred and Paul’s property courtesy of Google (the labels are mine):

We started in the front and are now rounding the corner. The bed to the left of the garage is a startling departure from the restraint that dominates the front of the house:

Business hours are over, now it’s par-tay time!

I love the variety of plants: everything from cacti and cactus-like euphorbias to mangaves and soft-leaved succulents like echeverias and crassulas.

Earlier, when I was standing in front of the house, I would never have thought that Fred and Paul are into this degree of cramscaping!

Beschorneria yuccoides ‘Flamingo Glow’

Beschorneria yuccoides ‘Flamingo Glow’ flower stalk

Mangave ‘Barney’ from Altman Plants

Easily the best-looking ‘Barney’ I’ve seen to date

Fred and Paul bought this massive Aloe marlothii for cheap on Craigslist. They hauled it home on their flat-bed pickup, but it took six adults to plant it!

Every nook and cranny is put to use, even if it’s just for chard! The bare dirt on the right is on the neighbor’s side; that’s why there are no plants.

A low fence encloses a small exterior courtyard where Fred and Paul like to hang out and watch the world go by:

The Aloe marlothii you saw earlier

The turquoise circles are fold-down side tables – perfect for coffee or a drink

Most of the plants are succulents, but there are some surprises, like these freesias

Aloe ‘Blue Elf’

Aeonium ‘Sunburst’ is great foil for this royal blue planter

An old steel water heater turned into a sheep feeder and then into a planter:

As we continued into the backyard proper, it quickly became obvious that Fred and Paul are not only highly creative, they also know how to build things. Case in point:

What you see above began as an enclosure to hide the garbage cans. Then it morphed into a temporary aviary for a wounded bird they had rescued. And after the bird had died it became what it is now: a small greenhouse.

This isn’t just a makeshift structure cobbled together on the cheap. It’s beautifully built with design details that go way beyond the functional:

The same creativity and attention to detail is evident wherever you look:

Mobile made of water heater flue baffles. Don’t know what a flue baffle is? I didn’t either. Whenever Fred and Paul see an old water heater in a junk yard or discarded by the side of the road, they salvage the baffles for projects like this one.

The odd-looking black thing is an Air-Pot root-pruning container. The air holes eliminate root circling and stimulate the growth of healthy roots. Air-Pots come as flat panels and are quickly assembled. I bought several of them years ago – I can’t even remember for what – but after seeing this, I’ll put them into service as decorative containers.

Aeoniums, echeverias, crassulas, asparagus...and a found statue the guys lovingly restored

I did a double-take when I saw these fancy echeverias planted out in the sun

I had thought they wouldn’t survive our summers, but clearly I was wrong. Time for me to experiment!

With so much to see in the backyard, there was no way I could photograph it all. Here are some vignettes:

Yes, an old carousel horse

Repurposed plow disc blade

If I came across a metal coyote like this one, I would bring it home, too

Fred and Paul are as affable as they look. Have I mentioned that they’re pros at scouring garage and estate sales for hidden treasures?

I have a soft spot for the variegated form of Euphorbia ammak and have been trying for over a year to root a large cutting I was given. I was thrilled to see several specimens in Fred and Paul’s garden – proof that they do survive (and even thrive) outside in our area. After I got home, I checked my cutting and discovered to my great satisfaction that it had begun to root. In a few years, I might have a specimen as beautiful as the one in the photo above!

Ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) planted pool-side

View across the pool to the planting strip featuring the carousel horse

Lots of cool stuff to see up against the house, including columns repurposed as plant stands and a sheet of diamond plate turned into a table

The legs are black PVC pipe

I have never seen a medusa head-type euphorbia with trailing arms like this!

Monkey tail cactus in a cool hanging planter...

...which Fred and Paul fashioned from the rim of a tractor front tire

Mid-century modern mirror and a found metal object made of who knows what

Euphorbia polygona ‘Snowflake’

Flowering aeonium

Blooming rhipsalis

Rhipsalis flowers up close

This Euphorbia bougheyi ‘Sunrise’...

...was my plant of the day. Fred and Paul took cuttings so I’ll soon have it growing in my own garden.

The last area Fred and Paul showed us was the courtyard off the kitchen. In a former life, it, too, was largely an expanse of grass. Now it’s packed with plants, potted and in the ground, as well as all kinds of decorative items.

The central section of the courtyard is covered with shade sails

The horizontal pieces of the shade structure are perfect for hanging planters

A pair of Japanese lights combined to form a unique luminaire

Aloe ×nobilis on the left, a bowl filled with hundreds of peanut cactus stems (Chamaecereus hybrids) on the right

Aeoniums spilling out of a pot

I liked this hand-painted pot

Yet another fantastic monkey tail cactus

One of several pieces of wood waiting to be repurposed. I believe this one came from a cottonwood tree,

As you can see in these photos, Fred and Paul have accumulated a huge variety of things. But instead of simply having them for the sake of having them, they have repurposed and refashioned them in completely unique ways. Their kind of maximalism isn’t everybody’s taste, I realize that, but what they have created radiates such joyfulness and exuberance that it’s impossible not to walk away with a smile on your face.

Finally, three Google Street View photos from 2011, the year before Fred and Paul bought the property. I did a double-take, not just because of the huge expanses of grass, but also because the house itself is almost unrecognizable. Maybe because of the atrocious color? In any case, Fred and Paul completely transformed the property from boring and forgettable to utterly memorable.

Google Street View from 2011 – front

Google Street View from 2011 – corner

Google Street View from 2011 – side

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