Bay Meadows

Sunshine & Succulents was founded in November 2012 by Brandi Chalker who creates custom succulent arrangements for individuals and institutions, and also teaches workshops so others can learn to enjoy plants to their fullest. She loves working with her clients to create unique, lasting, living designs to compliment their home decor, fit their wedding theme, or otherwise enhance their lives with a bit of nature. Brandi’s terrariums have been featured on TV on ABC7, and she has taught workshops for companies like AirBnB and at world-class institutions like the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. Brandi is our featured partner for our May Rubbing Elbows event, a specialty lifestyle event handcrafted for our Bay Meadows homeowners and their guests.

Brandi took a moment to share with us:

What drives your passion for succulents?
I love how easy succulents are to grow and propagate. There’s nothing like taking tiny cuttings or baby succulents and watching them grow into their own full-size plants! The vibrant array of succulent colors also always continues to amaze and inspire me.

Describe the most amazing succulent creation you’ve ever seen. Where did you discover it and what did it include?
Succulent Gardens in Castroville created a gigantic succulent globe for the big flower and garden show in San Mateo last year, and it was amazing! It was incredibly well mapped out, with all the continents represented in different colors of succulents. The planning that went into creating the globe was really impressive.

3 sources for great succulent design inspiration are:
Debra Lee Baldwin has a bunch of fantastic books out. I also love walking around my neighborhood (San Francisco’s Outer Sunset district) to see the variety of succulents and the unique ways people have planted them. And I love scouring the cliffs of Northern California beaches to find the succulents that thrive in the harsh conditions of rocky cliff sides.

Where are your favorite bay area spots to hunt for succulents, prior to propagating:
I try to be good at not taking cuttings from people’s succulents without getting their permission, so I honestly mostly just propagate from my own stock of succulents. I have a yard and a small greenhouse, so I have quite a collection.

Are there any new workshops, products or plans in the works that we can look forward to at Sunshine Succulents?
I’ve started offering workshops through Airbnb, so that visitors to San Francisco can come learn about succulents while they travel! I’m also always looking to expand the stores that carry my succulents creations.


Currently obsessed with: Aquatic plants; I have a bowl of lily pads growing in my kitchen
If Bay Meadows were a succulent, she’d be an Echeveria Perle Von Nurnberg
My 4 favorite succulents to work with are: Ground cover sedums, Sedum Nussbaumerianum (orange is my favorite color), Echeveria Lola, Echeveria Dondo
We can find your succulent terrariums & terrarium kits at: Modern Mouse in Alameda and B Street Mercantile in Petaluma
Best found object for succulent art: Antique spice tins

Fame x Frame Photo Contest
As we develop community, we want to see how you live or play at Bay Meadows. Share your fun lifestyle photos with our community by using #baymeadowslife. You could WIN $50 or our Grand Prize of $500 at the end of 2014 and be featured in a live pop-up gallery exhibit event. View official rules here: https://baymeadows.com/photocontestrules/

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