Succulents and More™

Last week, I had business in San Francisco. On the way home, I made a quick stop at Flora Grubb Gardens in the Bayview District. Calling Flora Grubb a nursery would be like calling a Rolls-Royce a car. Yes, it’s a nursery, but it’s far more than that. It’s a plant shop and a home decor store, but above all, it’s an experience. If you haven’t been there yourself, you’ll see why shortly. Flora Grubb—yes, she’s a real person—had already been gardening for years in Austin, Texas when she moved to San Francisco in 1999. She started a landscaping business and really hit it off with a client, Saul Nadler. Flora and Saul joined forces as Grubb & Nadler, first buying a small nursery on Guerrero Street in the Mission District, then moving to their current location on Jerrold Avenue in 2007. The Bayview store features an open-air building clad with reclaimed barnwood and equipped with solar panels. Plants, furniture, and pottery are arranged like they would be in a garden, creating a lush a...

On August 23, 2017, Timber Press will release the completely revised second edition of Designing with Succulents by Debra Lee Baldwin . The first edition sold over 180,000 copies and has become a classic. The second edition is even bigger and better. In addition to delighting fans of the first edition, it will appeal to a whole new audience interested in incorporating succulents into their own landscaping. Click here to read my review of the new edition. Debra Lee Balwin holding her "new baby" (photo © Debra Lee Baldwin; used with permission) As I was reading Designing with Succulents  I started to compile a list of random questions that popped into my head. Being the good sport that she is, Debra Lee Baldwin graciously agreed to answer them. Read on to find out more about the second edition of Designing with Succulents , new succulent trends, and what Debra's favorite succulents are.