Foliage Follow-up - Mastering the Mimosa?

I was initially at a loss for plants to feature in this month's foliage follow-up, sponsored by Pam at Digging.  Then I looked out my home office window and found myself admiring the mimosa tree in our backyard, Albizia julibrissin.  It recently leafed out and, although it will be a 2-3 weeks before it flowers, I think it's at its prettiest right now.  I admit that the tree has been a regular source of frustration for me since we bought our current house three and a half years ago.  Its messiness is something I've complained about many times and I won't repeat myself here but, giving the devil his due, the tree does provide a dramatic backdrop in our backyard.

While the Albizia makes a major statement in the garden, I find myself relying more and more heavily on succulents to add decorative touches.  There are pots of succulents throughout the garden.

A new Aloe striata and an unidentified stacked Crassula in a pot on the main patio

A collection of succulent pots on the southeast side patio

I planted this birdbath with succulents a couple of months ago but I recently swapped out an ailing Aloe in the center for the Agave victoriae-reginae shown here - it and the Oscularia deltoides in front will fill in (eventually)

The struggling Aloe deltoideodonta moved into this pot, which I hope will provide a more hospitable home

This recent acquisition wasn't labeled but I think it may be Aloe variegata

Echeveria pulvinata 'Ruby,' purchased at a succulent show in April, is happy in the partial shade alongside the dry garden

I've also been planting more succulents in the ground in areas in which herbaceous plants and shrubs have failed to thrive.  This started when, as I may have mentioned before, I placed pieces of an unidentified Aeonium given to me by a friend in the hard-packed soil underneath our citrus trees for lack of a better idea as to what to do with them.

I've cut pieces of these plants for other areas of the garden dozens of times without any apparent harm to the source plants

Later, at a loss for plants that could survive in the poor, fast draining soil of the sloped area beneath our Ceanothus hedges, I tucked pieces of Aeoniums in there too.

I'd estimate that these Aeonium, planted from a few single stems, have been in place about a year now, steadily multiplying

After seeing an entire border of Aeonium outside a design studio in Orange County, I think I may fill in the remaining space along the stacked rock wall under that hedge with Aeonium.

New ground for additional Aeoniums

This is the look I aim for (photo taken at a design studio adjacent to Laguna Nursery)

If the drought continues here, as it's expected to do, I expect you'll see even more succulents in future foliage follow-up posts from me.  Please visit Pam at Digging for her foliage highlights and to connect to the contributions of other gardeners.