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Geographic Area: South Bay regions, Imperial Beach, Coronado, Eastern and Southeastern areas, Central San Diego, and nearby neighboring communities. Coverage in North County is limited to Rancho Peñasquitos and Rancho Bernardo.
Preferred Availability
Hours: Monday–Saturday, daytime only (no evenings)
Presentation Requirements
Equipment Needed:
- TV monitor or projector with screen (or a plain white wall as a substitute for the screen) for displaying PowerPoint slides.
- If a projector is unavailable, Muriel's live succulent examples serve as effective visual aids.
Presentation Title
Pairing, Staging, and Arranging Succulents to Create Living Art
Presentation Overview
This engaging presentation features demonstrations and real-life examples of living art created through pairing, staging, and arranging succulents. Participants will explore how to create visually compelling arrangements using various design principles and planting vessels—transforming ordinary containers into artful displays. Key discussion points include:
- Pairing vs. Staging Succulents: Understanding the difference
- Designing with Intent: Combining complementary differences and similarities—such as color, texture, contrast, and form—to enhance visual impact
- Planters
- Living pictures
- Living wreaths
- Baskets
- DIY hypertufa containers
- Other creative planting vessels
- DIY Drainage Solutions: How to safely drill drainage holes into various containers
- Design Styles Explored:
- Modern
- Rustic
- Naturalistic
- Whimsical
- Vintage
- Holiday-themed
- Includes succulent varieties well-suited for indoor environments.
Keywords
Succulent design, succulent arrangement, container gardening, bonsai jade, hypertufa, living picture, living wreath, houseplants, patio plants, seasonal and non-seasonal themes, creative planting vessels, modern design, rustic style, whimsical décor, vintage containers, plant pairing, plant staging.
Biography
Muriel King has been a Master Gardener since 2018. Her passion for plants was sparked by her role as a community advocate promoting neighborhood beautification and expanding the urban tree canopy in South Bay Terraces. In 2010, she led a planting project along a main thoroughfare, resulting in a 1,800-foot-long strip filled with waterwise trees and drought-tolerant plants—including various succulents.
Muriel is the chair of her HOA’s Landscape Committee and recently became the lead for a Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway site in her neighborhood. She played a key role in securing the successful planting of many trees on that site, working in partnership with Urban Corps to obtain a CalFire grant that covered the cost. She also served on the City’s Forestry Advisory Board for four years and continues to collaborate with the City Forester to support the health and success of recently planted trees (within the last eight years) in her community.
In 2016, Muriel coordinated the development of a 10,000-square-foot Water Conservation Garden at EarthLab, a sustainability-focused educational space managed by Groundwork San Diego. The garden features specialized zones for succulents, native species, pollinator habitats, and regional plant communities, such as sage and chaparral.
Before becoming a Master Gardener, Muriel worked for 26 years as a paralegal. Her experience spanning law, community advocacy, and her passion for succulent arrangements have blended in fulfilling and unexpected ways, making her retirement both impactful and rewarding.