I bought my first succulents half a year ago at a nursery I was working at. I was pretty new to the flower business and actually didn’t know what these strange little alien looking plants were called. I saw them nestled in their tiny pots and all the different shapes, colors, and textures drew me in. They sat on a table that looked like an exotic mini rainforest full of plastic looking leaves and spikes. Each one appeared as a unique character to me, full of its own personality. That’s why it was hard choosing some to take home because each one had its own striking features. They were baby plants and cheap so I took three, but even a handful could be $20 or less anywhere since succulents are generally low-priced.
The three I’ve been caring for look fantastic. They are bigger and one even blossomed flowers last month. I potted the two in the picture using recycled tin cans, and drilled drainage holes on the bottom. I filled the cans halfway up with aquarium pebbles, and the rest with top soil. The results have been great thus far. There’s many helpful articles online on how to care for succulents; but from what I’ve gathered, they like well drained almost dry soil. The most important thing is to water them on time, and the container they are in has drainage holes so the soil isn’t overly watered. Succulents like it very dry, and they store water in their big fleshy leaves like a cactus. This makes them low maintenance and most usually need water once every two or three weeks during the summer, and once a month during the winter.
There are so many different types of succulents and seeing pictures online of other people’s collections makes me want to buy more. I remember buying Pokemon cards, or collecting action figures as a kid, and this is that same feeling. I think it would be cool to someday have a huge garden of succulents on a deck or in a greenhouse. Create a world of little characters that takeoff small and see how each one ages. Maybe some will grow flowers? Or other ones turn different colors? It’s beautiful to watch these little gems grow and transform over time.
I remember watering my succulents just before leaving home for a month to be with my girlfriend. When I got back home I was a little worried they’d been sitting out to long without water, but sure enough when I entered my room one had grown three yellow flowers! First of all I had no idea it grew flowers, and second they did just fine while I was gone. There’s something fulfilling about taking care of these small wonders, especially having no idea what they’ll do. That element of surprise is so exciting, and it made think twice about how special plants are than just a thing old people buy or someone surprises their love with. They take on a life of their own, and that’s awesome.
