Succulent Cafe Oceanside: A Living Masterpiece

Coffee and succulents are two of my favorite things, so when Krista told me about the new Succulent Cafe in Oceanside, I almost exploded with excitement!  The cafe is located at 322 North Cleveland Street in a courtyard adjacent to Apotheque Lifestyle Spa. You know you've arrived when you see this magical wall of succulents.

As you enter the outdoor garden style cafe, you immediately realize this isn't just a coffee shop that also sells plants. The entire cafe is a living work of art as you are surrounded by a wall to wall succulent masterpiece.  I recently had the privilege of sitting down with owner and creative mastermind Peter Loyola. 

Peter's passion for succulents began in his own backyard. Unsure if he wanted a cactus or succulent garden, he decided to go with succulents because he thought they would be safer for his kids.  As his garden grew, he began making little arrangements to sell at his sister's bakery on Valentine's Day and Mother's day.  He would make 50 to 60 arrangements which would sell out every time.  After being asked to share some succulent pieces at the Oceanside Days of Art, Peter quickly realized that succulents actually have a fan base and that his arrangements were in fact viewed as works of art.  People would constantly ask him if he had a website, business card or store and the answer was always "no".  Naturally, he decided to open a succulent garden where he could sell his arrangements year round. 

One day while walking downtown, Peter spied the unused courtyard outside the Apotheque Spa. He approached the owner, inquired about the space, showed them his work and they agreed.  From the positioning of the sun and pleasant ocean breeze, to the historic building as a backdrop, the space was absolutely perfect for his succulent garden.  

Although the initial thought was to make it a garden, Peter decided to combine his love of serving coffee with his passion for succulents and I'm so glad he did. The Succulent Cafe is total perfection.  From the quiet music to the gorgeous succulents, the entire ambiance makes you want to come back again and again.  Peter hopes that his cafe can be part of changing the face of downtown Oceanside.  He says, "I've created this space primarily to offer a peaceful relaxing place not only for locals, but for tourists and visitors.  I chose Oceanside because I live here and I'd love to be a small part of making it a better place." 

Peter is all about supporting local businesses and artists. He buys all of his plants from local nurseries and his coffee beans come from Revolution Roaster in Leucadia.  On the weekends, he welcomes local musicians to perform and local artists to display their work.  Peter is so humble and friendly, I wish nothing but the best for him and his amazing cafe.  

I had the pleasure of photographing the cafe, but honestly, these photos do not do it justice! If you are in the area, please stop by for a visit. You will be so happy you did!

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This vertical frame succulent wall was voted best plant art by San Diego Magazine, August 2013 issue. 

Like the Succulent Cafe on Facebook and follow them on Instagram @succulentcafeoceanside for more info.

Tips for Growing Healthy Succulents

I'm asked quite frequently on Instagram to share tips for growing succulents, so I decided it would be a good idea to share them here as well.  Let me start off by saying, I consider myself a succulent enthusiast, but I am by no means an expert. (Feel free to correct me anytime!) That being said, I do have a lot of plants and they are all very healthy, so I'd love to share with you what has worked for me. 

I've found that there are three main factors to consider when growing succulents: 

Soil + Water + Sunlight

1. Soil

What kind of soil should I plant my succulents in? 

Succulents love well draining soil.  I've been buying a Palm & Cactus mix from Lowes for sometime now and it has been great.  In the dryer summer months, I've found that my soil drys a little too quickly. If you feel like your soil is just not retaining water long enough, you can mix your cactus soil with a bit of regular potting soil to increase the water retention to your liking. Sometimes, I like to keep my plants in containers without drainage holes, such as tea cups, mason jars and baby food jars.  In this case, I will either layer the bottom of the container with pebbles or add sand to the soil to help with drainage issues.

2. Water

How much and when should I water my succulents?

There is a common misconception that succulents don't need much water.   While it's true that they can go longer periods of time without it, they will not "thrive" in a drought-like situation.  I learned this the hard way when I first started my collection.  I would go weeks without watering and my plants were not growing. They weren't dying either. My mom on the other hand, would water her plants frequently and her plants were flourishing! I decided she was on to something and began watering my plants more often. Now, my general rule of thumb is water when the soil is dry.  For me, that is about once a week during hotter months and a little less when the weather cools.  When I water, I water the soil not the plant. (I've heard that letting water settle on the leaves can cause rot, in addition to leaving unsightly markings.) I give it a good soak so that the water runs out of the bottom of the pot. (For plants without drainage holes, I don't soak. I give more of a "sip.") I see a lot of people killing their succulents by overwatering. You can avoid this by making sure the soil is totally dry between waterings.   

3. Sunlight

How much sunlight do succulents need? 

In general, succulents do best in bright but indirect sunlight.  I've found that different species can tolerate different amounts of light, but most of my plants tend to suffer in extended periods of direct sunlight.  To avoid burning and scorching your plants, keep them in a place where they get a lot of shade but still receive adequate light. My healthiest plants are outside on window sills where they are protected from direct sunlight by small over hangs. Like I said, some plants can tolerate direct sunlight better than others. You just need to experiment with your plants to see what works best where you live.  If your plants are not getting enough light they may become leggy and stretch toward the light. If your plants are stretching out or bending toward the light, you can slowly move them to a brighter spot or rotate the pot from time to time to keep them growing straight up. You might also like to propagate your leggy succulents. (See my post on Propagating Succulents for more info.) 

I hope this has been helpful! Please let me know if you have any questions at all. Find me on Instagram under @tawwni or @needlesandleaves or leave a comment below. 

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DIY Succulent Crown

I'm a huge fan of flower crowns, but as a succulent lover, I've been dreaming of making a succulent crown for ages!  After struggling to find a "DIY Succulent Crown" tutorial online, I decided to just do it myself.  Naturally, I asked my mom to help me figure it out since she has experience working with succulents and wires. (See My Sister's Succulent Wedding.)  I went through my garden and chose some plants that I thought would work before heading over to my mom's.  If you read my mom's Garden Tour post you know she has a wonderful variety of plants, so I ended up using some of hers as well.  After choosing the perfect plants, we gathered our supplies, made some iced coffee, and began our project.

supplies you will need: 

succulents

floral tape

thick floral wire  

thin floral wire

pliers

wire cutters 

scissors

Step 1.  

Use your thicker floral wire to create a circle that fits around your head where you want your crown to sit.  Attach the wires by twisting the ends together and then wrap the circle in floral tape. 

Step 2.  

After cutting the stems of your plants short with your scissors, insert your thin wire into the stem of each plant.

Bend the wire.

Wrap the stem with the end of the wire to strengthen it and secure it to the wire. Because succulents bruise and scar easily, you will want to be careful not to handle them too roughly during this process. 

Step 3. 

Chose a plant to start with. Place it on the wire circle where you want it and wrap its wire around the circle. You can use your pliers to squeeze the wires tightly together and to pinch down the ends. 

Continue choosing plants, placing them on the wire where you like until your circle is full of beautiful plants.  I decided to only do the front half of my crown, but you can do the full thing if you want.  Since I had exposed wires, I wrapped the back half in floral tape once more.

Note: Unlike flowers, some succulent leaves can snap off very easily, so be really careful during this process.

I couldn't be happier with the way my succulent crown turned out!  I'm guessing it will last about a month. (Maybe longer!) Once the plants start to wither or root I will take it apart and plant them back in soil so that they can continue to grow. 

I hope my directions were clear enough, but if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask! You can leave a comment here or find me on Instagram under @tawwni or @needlesandleaves. 

Portrait photography by Tayia Strain. (My amazingly talented little sis!) You can find more of her photos at Strain Photography.