The secrets of Laura Eubanks’ succulent garden design

Laura Eubanks, the garden designer of Design for Serenity, created a succulent garden with a jewelry box by grouping plants to create a mosaic look and adding lava swirls. She said that rocks from pebbles to boulders are as important as plant materials. The video is provided by garden photojournalist Debra Lee Baldwin, who is the author of three books on succulents and their use in landscapes and containers. For related information, go to the Laura Eubanks playlist on the Debra channel and check out Laura’s design in Debra’s book. Check out Laura Eubanks’ own channel on YouTube. Website: www.designforserenity.com. Online Succulent Resources-Mountain Garden:-Ultraman Plants:-Leaves and Clay: Debra Lee Baldwin’s Book-Succulent Plant Design (mainly about underground gardening),-Succulent Plant Simplification (for beginners) Very good overview),-Succulent Plant Container Garden, contact Debra-Facebook: @DebraLeeBaldwinOfficial-Instagram: @debralbaldwin-Website:-BluPrint Course:-Newsletter: Subscribe-YouTube: About Debra Award-winning garden photojournalist and best-selling author Debra Lee Baldwin shares his expertise in “Responsible Drinking Plants” in prints, photos, videos and her “Celebrate the Joy of Succulents” newsletter . Debra is located in Southern California, where there are more succulent professional nurseries and growers than anywhere else in the world. .

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30 Comments

  • France Clémence Fradet

    Stones bounce back the heat! Much better to plant trees for shade, like mulberries, false pepper, mimosa, tamarisk, jacaranda, catalpa, flame tree, etc. I think paths should be where the stones are, not the beds. Close planting and shade is key, IMHO. Oh, and hedges such as pittosporum, for its fragrant white flowers and its resistence to salt-laden air. I think a garden baked by the sun is impossible to enjoy for a good ten hours of the day in summer, which is a shame. I really do think in the first year planting trees should be the big priority, and deciduous trees to not have the light blocked out in the winter months.

  • Baby Bear

    Hi Debra,funny thing is that the day you suggested I get your book when you sent me a reply last,was the same day I was at a great little shop in old town Temecula and the owner was looking at your book and told me I need to get it…lol. She is always using it as a reference and likes that it shows landscape pictures as the plants change over time. I was wondering in the video above if wood chip mulch could or should be used instead of rock in any of the landscape. I am trying to create a similar look to what you have in the video and live in an hoa community. As I am converting the sprinklers to a drip system,one of my dilemmas is how many to convert to drip with 8 tubing outlets and how many to cap. How do you decide and determine,any suggestions? Also when it comes to rock color and coordinating boulders,pavers and smaller rocks,how do you make it all work? I did buy some beautiful boulders with pinks reds and browns so does that mean I should also use the same colors in the smaller rocks? I also see that jagged edge rocks and mulch and river rocks and gravel are sometimes all placed into one landscape. Any suggestions on how best to achieve the look you have in terms of where to use which rocks and choose color? Lastly I see that you have some tall grass like the african iris and so far I have purchased several of these plants,and while they are not yet in the ground,they seem to wilt often and need a lot of water. Are they really a drought tolerant plant and once planted will they stand straight,or do they always droop and become full of dead brown stalks? If so what else can I use to create that softness but omit these issues,perhaps the thick rubbery patches of another type of grass plant which has purple flowers. I forget the name but see this plant thriving throughout the region where I live. I thought perhaps it could offer a place for my small dog to rest. Do you have a suggestion of a soft non thorny plan where a dog can sit since I removed all the grass on my property? Thanks again. Debbie

  • Baby Bear

    Hi Debra, can you name a few taller succulent water efficient type plants for me that I can use in my landscape design here in Temecula? I have many shorter plants but feel that since I have a relatively flat property that I wont be able to get the variation in height and design that would look best. Do you have other suggestions on how to create height towards the back? Also since I am removing a large amount of rocks and clumps of clay soil I was wondering what combination of dirt you would recommend,if it should be all cactus soil or a combination of cactus and compost or top soil,or what exactly would you use to re-fill the ground to take up the space of the clay and rocks I removed? After that I was going to just use palm cactus soil in the actual holes I dig for each plant. Thanks

  • Baby Bear

    Well I was inspired. I went to the rock yard and just bought some beautiful but small boulder pieces. How large of a boulder or rock do you suggest in order to create a pocket garden? I had no idea you can just add some soil and cut off the plant without any roots and stick it into the dirt. Does that always work and it survives?

  • Baby Bear

    absolutely beautiful. I am in the process of creating a succulent landscape after having taken out my grass. Where did you find such large healthy plants or were they all small when you bought them? Did you have to use a special crane type lifter to place the rocks? i fell in love with a few 500lb. rocks but omg how do you get them where you want them and decide because that spot isnt going to change after its placed. Also I bought alot of ground cover and ice plant which I assume will take over in time. Do you suggest I do more with just small rocks as you have and limit the areas of ground cover? I love all the artistic decor elements and have a great place to buy them nearby. How do I decide on the color and size of the rocks and is place and gray ok to use or is it better to use reds and pinks ? can I email you a pic of what I have laid out and you can help me before I put it into the ground this week? Lastly do I need to rototill the soil and blend in sand or palm soil or just focus on the areas where the plant will go and blend the soil there? What exact product and proportion do you suggest I use of sand and palm soil? Lastly how much water to you give the plants thru a drip system so I can set it up that way and not have to hand water.

  • Fábio D'Eleoterio Odonto. Rumo ao CRO

    maravilhoso, estou descobrindo agora essa beleza das suculentas, depois de 3 anos trabalhando em manutenção de jardins empresariais, um dos gerentes me pediu um trabalho com suculentas e pesquisei no youtube, descobri seu video, fiz um trabalho simples que eles gostaram muito,  agora estou pensando em encher minha casa com essas plantas. parabéns pela sua arte!

  • netogrimald

    Gracias, precioso jardín. Las plantas suculentas son de las más bonitas, africanas ó americanas. El contraste de colores y armonía de los espacios, es genial…  Con los cactus, agaves y yucas tienen una combinación que parece muy 'de casa', desde Texas hasta Querétaro, México… 1000 kms. del desierto chihuhuense. La importancia de las rocas fue descrita en las pinturas de paisaje, desde el Realismo del siglo XIX. No deben faltar en un jardín. las grandes atrás y si tienen lagartijas mejor… 🙂

  • Theodore Hammond

    I swept the San Francisco county fair one year of practically all their blue ribbons, just like I had shown up, out of the blue. It was the only year I exhibited. Getting to the point, I am moving to the country after being thrown out in the cold and one of the things I most look forward to is starting another cacti and succulent collection! I hope this works out alright.

  • Theodore Hammond

    Very nice. I have been holed up in a little room for the past 15 years. I am an 18 year survivor of cancer (metastatic melanoma) and now I am being asked to leave by my landlord. Before I was attacked by cancer I had a wonderful cactus and succulent collection. Continued below, I got long winded.