• Thank you for our amazing plants. They were packed with care and arrived safe. They even gave advice and info for caring for the plants.Will recomend Living Desert Plants any... read more

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    Remona jacobs Avatar Remona j.
    June 28, 2025

    Amazing selection of plants. My plants were packaged with love and care, sent through to me speedily and Harry kept me updated on tracking. He also provided a care sheet... read more

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    tekk gal Avatar tekk g.
    June 28, 2025

    Super service and I am very happy with my plants!! Plants were packed very good!

    Estelle Snyman Avatar Estelle S.
    June 6, 2025
  • After years of searching, I finally found Monkey’s Tail cacti, and ordered 4 from LDP! I got really great service and advice. Harry is very friendly and helpful. And not one cacti was... read more

    Annelies Avatar Annelies
    June 5, 2025

    First online sale I took part in: it was so easy and organised. The plants arrived in under a week, beautiful, strong plants. I can only recommend LDP to plant... read more

    Christina Mars Avatar Christina M.
    June 5, 2025

    After years of searching I finally acquired a Welwitschia through LDP. The plant was expertly packaged, and the service was great! They also gave me advice on keeping the seedling... read more

    Alexander Mommsen Avatar Alexander M.
    June 2, 2025
  • Living Desert Plants delivered! 😍 My beautiful plants arrived safely thanks to the thoughtful and amazing packaging. The free decorative stones and care guide was such a nice touch and... read more

    Anina Avatar Anina
    June 1, 2025

    Plants arrived safely and well packed. The plants themselves are awesome, thanks Harry!

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    Jack Vanden-Plas Avatar Jack V.
    May 26, 2025

    Those sensitive plants you've been admiring for a while but not sure how it will survive the courier journey...? Get in touch with Living Desert Plants. Excellent communication, updates and... read more

    Annitta de Villiers Avatar Annitta d.
    May 17, 2025
  • Harry's plants are top shelf! Plants are perfectly acclimated to local conditions and are always in good health leaf to root

    Andre Visser Avatar Andre V.
    May 15, 2025

    Living Desert Plants delivered! 😍 My beautiful plants arrived safely thanks to the thoughtful and amazing packaging. The free decorative stones and care guide was such a nice touch and... read more

    Anina Avatar Anina
    May 9, 2025

    Consultation with Harry Lewis: It was a most significant visit from Harry. I learnt some very useful tips in keeping my cacti healthy, we had in-depth discussions on cacti keeping,... read more

    Esther van der Westhuizen Avatar Esther v.
    May 1, 2025
  • Consultation with Harry Lewis: It was a most significant visit from Harry. I learnt some very useful tips in keeping my cacti healthy, we had in-depth discussions on cacti keeping,... read more

    Esther van der Westhuizen Avatar Esther v.
    April 30, 2025

    Plants are well packed and received in good condition. I will recommend them to anyone who wants to order on line.

    marlene hall Avatar marlene h.
    April 25, 2025

    Excellent communication with clients. Plants arrived in great condition all the way across the country. Exact plants as advertised.

    Jade Phillips Avatar Jade P.
    April 25, 2025
  • Great service from Harry, he kept me up to date on my order. So excited when I received my package, which was carefully wrapped. Can’t wait to see my plants... read more

    Lara Daniels Avatar Lara D.
    March 4, 2025

    I would just like to say the plants I receive are always in a good condition and I get fantastic service. I will definitely order from them again 🌟🍀

    Kyle Maritz Avatar Kyle M.
    February 11, 2025

    I am beyond impressed with my recent order! The delivery was incredibly quick, and the items were packed with such care. The plants arrived in perfect condition and are absolutely... read more

    Bianca Reÿneke Avatar Bianca R.
    February 11, 2025
  • The plants looked exactly like the photos and had no damage from being couriered because it was well secured in the box with eco friendly packaging and care guide to... read more

    Rene Marais Avatar Rene M.
    February 11, 2025

    Absolutely excellent plants and service from the LDP team....will continue buying and recommend to everyone!

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    janine pelser Avatar janine p.
    February 11, 2025

    GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE. I RECEIVED MY PLANTS AND IT'S UNBELIEVABLE !!!! I AM SO EXCITED.THANX HARRY YOU REALLY LIVE UP TO YOUR STANDARDS.

    Debtor Debtors Avatar Debtor D.
    February 11, 2025
  • Absolutely great service, over and above to get my plants to me on time. Plants healthy and well packed. Great communication- keep up your great work.

    Zelda Bowen Avatar Zelda B.
    January 11, 2025

    I purchased a number of succulents and cacti recently from all over Cape Town. Many of these plants aren't always cared for well by the nurseries. With view of fixing... read more

    Diederik Pretorius Avatar Diederik P.
    September 11, 2024

    Great plants! 🪴

    Zack Nell Avatar Zack N.
    August 11, 2024
  • They stock specimens that are hard to find and ship them with extreme care. I will buy from them again and recommend them to family and friends!

    Stafleu Buitendag Avatar Stafleu B.
    April 30, 2024

    Great customer service and excellent plants of the highest quality that are packed and shipped with the utmost care and attention to ensure safe arrival. Definitely recommend !!

    Brenton Jennings Avatar Brenton J.
    April 30, 2024

    Great website, friendly service and fantastic plants. They take great care packaging your plants when shipping them. Very impressed and will order again soon. If you ever wanted to order... read more

    DeWaal Venter Avatar DeWaal V.
    March 11, 2024
  • They stock specimens that are hard to find and ship them with extreme care. I will buy from them again and recommend them to family and friends!

    Stafleu Buitendag Avatar Stafleu B.
    March 11, 2024

    Great customer service👌🏾. Overall I'm happy with my purchase, definitely purchasing again.

    Buyii Radebe Avatar Buyii R.
    March 11, 2024

    Excellent service, friendly with a personal touch! Definitely recommend

    Carl De Beer Avatar Carl D.
    March 11, 2024
About Living Desert Plants
harry-lewis-banner

Living Desert Plants is a specialist nursery offering rare succulents and cacti. We place our focus on plants that are not generally available in retail nurseries. Our selection is ethically produced and propagated before being made available. At Living Desert Plants, you will find the weird and wonderful that you cannot find easily elsewhere.

Living Desert Plants found its roots as a hobby-turned-business created by Harry Lewis in early 2018. Harry was able to get the nursery up and running using valuable knowledge gained from his years as a nature conservationist. His respect and admiration for nature is at the core of our ethos. Therefore, we are deeply committed to ethical propagation and the conservation of South Africa’s unique flora. We encourage the concept of ‘conservation through propagation’.

We ensure that all our succulents are responsibly and artificially propagated, avoiding any harm to wild populations. By focusing on artificial nursery propagation, we not only protect biodiversity, but also provide our customers with healthy, well-acclimated plants. Many of the indigenous species we offer for sale are grown by ourselves from seed or propagations.

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Latest blog posts & videos

Haworthia picta in habitat

I have been fortunate enough to appreciate a variety of succulent plants in their natural habitats during my travels of the Cape provinces. This includes my favourite genus, Haworthia. In late 2020, after lockdowns were lifted, I was on a road trip to the Karoo. From what a friend had told me, there were some . . .

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Haworthia truncata in habitat

Let’s talk conservation! Haworthia truncata, or the ‘perdetande’ (horse’s teeth), is my favourite plant. It was always a goal for me to see them in habitat. In 2024, I finally had the privilege of visiting a private property in the Karoo that hosted this plant. In the company of a nature guide, we set off . . .

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How to identify the genders of Dioscorea elephantipes

In a previous blog, we discussed the difference between male and female Euphorbia obesa. As a brief recap on the older blog, most plants on Earth are monoecious, or genderless. Both the male and female flowers, or parts of the flowers, occur on the same plant. However, with plants like Dioscorea elephantipes, also known as . . .

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How to avoid buying illegally harvested succulents

The popularity of succulents has surged in recent years. This new interest in the plant collecting hobby has grown the size of the community hundredfold. However, this has caused increased demand for rare species, in particular caudiciform (caudex) plants and dwarf succulents. In cases where registered nurseries are unable to meet the demand, some unscrupulous . . .

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Rare Plant Fair Calendar 2025

Rare Plant Fairs in 2025 Living Desert Plants will be attending a variety of events in 2025, including the Tokara Rare Plant Fair, Calitzdorp Succulent Festival and more. Living Desert Plants is primarily an online nursery, though we do have stalls at a variety of events throughout the year. If you want to meet us . . .

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Of Twists & Turns: What are crested plants?

Why do plants crest? The exact cause of cresting, also known as fasciation, can vary, and may include genetic mutations, viruses, or physical damage to the growth point. To understand cresting and crested plants, one must first understand the basics of how a plant grows. Plants consist of a variety of different tissues, and these . . .

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Want to get in touch?

Plants are our passion and we love talking about them. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the Living Desert Plants team if you need assistance.

Contact us