GARDENING SUCCS
You say "obsession" like it's a bad thing.
  • Blog
  • Instagram
  • Store and Resource Guide

Crimes Against Nature (VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED)

8/21/2014

 
Recently, my mom was in Home Depot, where she spied something truly horrific--something no human being, and certainly no lover of succulents, should ever have to witness.  I hate to share this picture with you, because you won't be able to purge the image from your mind.  But I'll share it as a public service.  People need to know.  What you see below is, in fact, nearly a dozen spray-painted succulents that I believe were aloe aristatas before they were defaced.
Picture
At first, I thought: those big-box store people are ridiculous.  They'll try anything for a buck.  But no one will like this or think it's a good idea.  Such tomfoolery will never catch on.   After all, not only does spray-painting beautiful plants plainly desecrate them, but it makes them look weird and unnatural. 

Also, I'm no botanist, but I'm pretty sure that covering a plant with paint will inhibit its ability to breathe, and thus to live.

Then, partly to reassure myself, I googled, "spray-painted succulents."

This was a mistake.

Had I not googled "spray-painted succulents," I never would have known that there is, in fact, a whole cadre of online craftspeople and wedding planners who are positively bursting with enthusiasm at the idea of defacing these drought-tolerant gems of the plant world.  I would have remained innocent, optimistic, naive.  But no more.  Since misery loves company (and since I can't feel adequately aghast unless others are aghast, too), I'll share some of my least favorites.
Picture
Picture
To the left, you can see the dubious creation of whoever writes momadvice.com.  She advises that painting succulents can add a "pop of color" to plants.  

Uhhh... 
Sure it does.  In much the same way that the gentleman to the lower right added a "pop of color" to his face.  Or that unwanted graffiti adds a "pop of color" to downtown buildings.

To add insult to injury, momadvice.com's paint job is shoddy, especially the blue faucaria (what was going on there!?).

Here are some others that I hate.
Picture
This dum plant waz soo boring n green till I maked it painted now its rad yeah!
Picture
Cakktuses r stupid so I spray painted them 4 u
Picture
We luv suklents together so sparklee and glitteree whee!!!
Take a stand, my dear succ-er friends.  This nonsense has got to stop.  (Or at least leave a comment below telling me you're as aghast as I am!)

Succulents + Coffee?  Yes, Please.

8/7/2014

 
A friend just sent me this article, which details the Bay Area trend of selling/having succulents in cafes, and of selling coffee in succulent shops.  My favorite example of this is Flora Grubb, where there's a Ritual Roasters coffee shop conveniently located inside.  (Because, seriously, why would you ever leave Flora Grubb?  Only to get coffee.  Now you never have to leave!) 

In my unsecret fantasy life, I own a succulent nursery that propagates its own stock and brews its own, high-quality pour-over coffee.  High-quality coffee free with any purchase.  Oh yeah--and it's also a used bookstore.  And a dog rescue sanctuary.  And there are chickens.  Now I just need an independently wealthy investor and about 50 more hours in every week...

Have you noticed the coffee + succulents trend, dear readers?  What's your favorite beverage--or other thing--to combine with succulents?

Addicted to Propagation!  And Growing from Seed!

8/6/2014

 
As regular readers of Gardening Succs are no doubt aware, I have developed quite an affinity for the stacked crassulas--the chunkier and rarer, the better.  I have also developed an addictio--er--an affinity for propagation.  The natural marriage of these two affinities has resulted, perhaps unsurprisingly, in the following:
Picture
From left to right, the rows are: (1) c. deceptor; (2) c. deceptor; (3) c. columella; (4) c. marchandii; (5) half c. barklyi and half c. moonglow; (6) c. emerald; (7) a "catch-all" row that includes c. hirtipes, c. ivory pagoda, c. coralita, and a couple of others; (8) c. deltoides and c. namaquensis.  I used a mix of half organic potting soil and half dry stall (aka pumice), since this simple soil cocktail has done me well in the past.

I would love to propagate larger cuttings, but for many of these (especially c. barklyi, which I love but can't find in the US--can anyone help me?!?), I only have one or two tiny little plants from which to take tiny little cuttings.  In some cases (e.g., c. namaquensis), I've basically decimated my only plant in the hopes of propagating more.

Why, you might ask, am I propagating these stacked crassulas?  Am I hoping to start my own nursery?  Sell online?  Guerilla garden stacked crassulas up and down the California coast in the hopes that they'll overtake our ubiquitous ice plant?  The answer, of course, is that I have no idea.  I am propagating these plants because I really, really like them, and I want to get good at propagation for reasons that elude even me.  Such are the mysteries of the human mind. 
I've also been growing from seed again.  As you might recall, I had moderate success last year with growing haworthias from seed.  (I'll post pics of those sometime.)  I decided to try again with a variety of types, and using techniques I learned from this fabulous book.  I had no luck with crassulas and little with agaves and echeverias.  However, after a few months, some types were doing well enough to transplant, as you can see in the picture to the right.  Various mammillarias look good, as do haworthias.  I am also excited about the astrophytums, which are in the center row in this pic.  I've had two astrophytums in the past, 50% of which perished under my care, so I'm interested to see if I can keep these alive.
Picture

    Subscribe by email:

    Picture
    Picture
    GS on Facebook
    GS on Instagram


    Other Succ-ers

    Succulents and More
    Danger Garden
    Cactus Jungle Blog
    Debra Lee Baldwin

    I Can Stop Tomorrow
    Rock Rose
    Sweetstuff's Sassy Succulents
    Spiky Obsession
    Succulents Forever
    The Succulent Perch


    Categories

    All
    Adromischus
    Aeoniums
    Agaves
    Aloes
    Blogs And Blogging
    Cacti
    Crassulae
    Echeverias
    Euphorbia
    Events
    Fun And Games
    Guest Posts
    Haworthia
    Kalanchoe
    Nurseries
    Pets
    Photos
    Plant Health
    Projects
    Propagation
    Public Gardens
    Q&A
    References
    Sempervivums
    Wish List
    Zone 5


    Archives

    January 2018
    May 2017
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012

    RSS Feed