Succulents and More™

Last week, when I was in Southern California, I made a quick trip down to San Diego County to visit Jeff Moore at Solana Succulents . It’s my favorite succulent nursery, and I try to stop by whenever I’m in the area. If you missed my posts about my previous visits, you can find them here . Jeff started Solana Succulents almost 30 years, and the nursery has been in the same spot on Highway 101 ever since. What you see when you enter from Highway 101 Inside the gate from Highway 101 is a smaller area densely packed with plants. I bet some people think that’s the extent of the nursery, but it’s just the beginning. A stunning Pachypodium lameri Dudleya brittonii That sport of Agave attenuata ‘Ray of Light’ is beauty Bromeliads, dudleyas, echeverias, agaves,... Dudleya anthonyi Mature euphorbias in the narrow side yard, with the neighboring building on the right The building itself is home to a skin-care salon. The nursery is downstairs around the back. The main area of the nursery is dow...

When we were in Southern California last week, our daughter took us to one of her favorite spots: Inspiration Point in Corona del Mar. It offers breathtaking views of Corona del Mar State Beach , but that's not the only thing to look at: The houses lining the street are pretty impressive, too, especially this one: It looks like it has four levels, with priceless views of the beach and the ocean. I can't even imagine what it must be like to live there. As focused as I initially was on the views and the houses, my attention quickly shifted—surprise, surprise—to this:  Agave americana Agaves are like catnip to me, especially when they send up massive flower stalks—and even more so when the backdrop is so gorgeous: In addition to Agave americana , which has pretty much become naturalized in parts of California, I quickly spotted other species that had clearly been planted: Agave attenuata  'Ray of Light' Agave  'Blue Glow', variegated  Agave desmetiana , and golden...