2017 Succulent Extravaganza was a blast

The 2017 Succulent Extravaganza at Succulent Gardens in Castroville, CA took place this past Friday and Saturday, September 29 and 30. Both days were jam-packed with presentations, socalizing, looking at plants, and of course shopping. I didn't arrive until late afternoon on Friday so I missed out on Friday's activities. But I enjoyed a full day on Saturday visiting with old succulent friends and meeting new ones, taking photos of the wonderful plants at Succulents Gardens (the demonstration gardens looked better than ever), and listening to four presentations. I bought a few things, too, but oddly enough none of them were succulents.

Late afternoon on Friday I attended a special happy hour to celebrate the launch of Debra Lee Baldwin's new book, Designing with Succulents, 2nd Edition. Afterwards I walked around the nursery and took some photos. Except for a few nursery employees, I was the only one there. Some of the photos are in this post, the others will be in the next one: pure succulent porn.

If you've never been to Succulent Gardens, this is what you see as approach on Elkhorn Blvd:

Many agaves along the road have flowered (I believe these are Agave 'Mr Ripple'):

Entrance to the nursery:

Every Extravanza seems to feature a new succulent tapestry. This is this year's:

More vertical arrangements:

Plants for sale are everywhere:

If you enjoying making succulent arrangements out of repurposed items, you've come to the right place for inspiration:

The display gardens are getting better and better as the plants mature. (Part 2 will have many more photos taken in the display gardens.)

This is the speaker area where most of the presentations are held:

This is one of two greenhouses open to the public. The others are for propagation only and are off limits.

Bringing a wagon is a smart idea! And take a look at that gorgeous Agave attenuata 'Ray of Light'!

So many succulents for sale! If I didn't already have one of those Agave guadalajarana 'Leon' in the photo below, I would have been tempted.

Boxed specimens for instant impact:

This area outside the main retail greenhouse looked spectacular this year: 

The painted doors are the perfect backdrop for sale plants.

More clever arrangements just outside the retail greenhouse:

Am I crazy for wanting a metal agave like the one in the photo below?

I don't know if the large Kalanchoe beharensis in the next photo was for sale but it definitely was a focal point.

Speaking of focal points, this potted arrangement featuring several Agave attenuata 'Boutin Blue' is a true showstopper:

The retail greenhouse has some areas that are off limits (see below) but most aisles are stocked with sale plants.

The number of echeveria hybrids on the market keeps growing from year to year. With some exceptions, echeverias don't thrive in our climate (it's just too hot in the summer) but I enjoy looking at them. This is one I hadn't see before: Echeveria 'Purple Pearl'. It's similar to 'Perle von Nürnberg" but even more purple.

I'll have a lot more photos from inside the retail greenhouse in my next post. Here's one more to tide you over:

Very few visitors make it to this area behind the propagation greenhouses. I'm not sure if these plants are officially for sale (yet), but there are some nice ones tucked away back here.

The rows of cactus in the next photos are new. Succulent Gardens is clearly making a concerted effort to grow larger cactus specimens.

I'm not sure what this one is (some Cereus or other)...

but this is Euphorbia ammak 'Variegata':

I've never seen this method of propagating columnar cactus before (I think this is a Trichocereus, now lumped into Echinopsis). Apparently new vertical stems will grow from a section placed on the ground horizontally.

I was excited to find a flower that had just opened up (they only last a day)

The arrangements below were created by members of the Succulent Fanatics, a wildly popular Facebook group created seven years ago by San Jose gardener extraordinare Laura Balaoro. Every year, the Succulent Fanatics have their own table in the retail greenhouse where visitors can admire their creations and ask succulent-related questions. The Extravaganza is a great opportunity for people who otherwise only know each other from cyberspace to meet up in person. 

"Under the Sea" by Laura Balaoro

"Under the Sea" by Laura Balaoro

"Nemo's Magical Garden" by Marlene McCullough

Succulent pumpkin by Deana McMillion

"Autumn Splendor" by Catherine Scott

"Propagation Fairy Garden" by Gina Maloney

What would be a gathering of like-minded people like the Succulent Fanatics without a group shot!

This new photo spot, complete with a succulent-adorned frame, is the perfect place for it. I took these photos so I'm not in it. But as you can see, the y chromosome was not well represented. Not that you'll here me complain!

Debra Lee Baldwin, a member of Succulent Fanatics herself, gave presentations on both days. I caught her talk on "Designing with Colorful, Textural Succulents" on Saturday morning. Here she is introducing Agave guiengola 'Crème Brûlée', one of her favorite alternatives to the ubiquitous (bad, if not downright evil) Agave americana. Agave guiengola definitely makes a statement, especially as it gets bigger (it can reach a height of 3-4 ft and a width of 4-6 ft). Unfortunately, it's not very hardy; the specimen I once had developed unsightly blemishes every winter when temperatures fell below freezing.

Other presentations I attended were by Robin Stockwell, the former owner of Succulent Gardens ("Hybridization of Succulents") and Walker Young, assistant curator of the Ruth Bancroft Garden ("Succulent Design"). 

The final speaker of the day was Janet Sluis, Program Developer and Curator of the Sunset Western Garden Collection. Entitled "Drought-Tolerant Plants for the Western Garden", Janet's talk focused on unthirsty plants that make great companions to succulents. I had seen this cart earlier in the day and had guessed (correctly, as it turned out) that these plants were going to feature prominently in Janet's presentation.

I'm sure these plants were placed on the cart in completely random fashion, but look how beautifully they play off each other:

Janet's picks included Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty', Lavandula allardii 'Meerlo', Dianella 'Clarity Blue', Festuca glauca 'Beyond Blue', Mahonia 'Soft Caress' and Mahonia × media 'Marvel'. Many plants go through rigorous irrigation trials at UC Davis, Janet explained, but only the toughest make into the "Water-Wise Plants" category of the Sunset Western Garden Collection. As I was listening to Janet, I was beginning to realize that Sunset had already done the hard work for me: determining what would do well in my climate. 

I really like the two selections from the Sunset Western Garden Collection I already have—Lavandula 'Meerlo' and Mahonia 'Soft Caress'—so I bought three more plants right then and there: another Lavandula 'Meerlo' and two Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty'. Succulent Gardens had brought in stock of both and a few others especially for the Extravaganza. I'll look for the fescue and dianella at Green Acres in Sacramento next weekend.

Walking back to my car after Janet's talk, I felt a great sense of contentment. I had met wonderful people, seen beautiful plants, and soaked up new information I would be able to put to good use in my garden. For me, the 2017 Succulent Extravaganza was one of the best ever.

The date for 2018 hasn't been announced yet, but if Succulent Gardens sticks to tradition, it should by on the last Friday and Saturday of September, i.e. September 28 and 29, 2018. If you haven't already, subscribe to Succulent Gardens' newsletter to keep up to date on all their events.

CLICK HERE TO SEE 70+ ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ("PLANT PORN") FROM THE 2017 SUCCULENT EXTRAVAGANZA.



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