The other day, a friend asked me why I like succulents so much more than other plants. First, a clarification: I like lots and lots of other plants. But I don't like growing them nearly as much as I like growing succulents. Here are my top five reasons, in no particular order:
- Otherworldliness. Plants like echeveria etna, crassula moonglow, and haworthia maughanii look like they've been beamed down from Neptune. Their unapologetic weirdness charms me.
- Nearly infinite propagat-ability. The idea that I can reproduce an entire plant from a single leaf still blows my mind. It's also amazingly cost-effective for those of us who are, say, full-time graduate students writing dissertations, working on the side, and making student loan payments. Just hypothetically.
- Sheer variety of shapes and colors. If you're reading this page, I doubt I have to convince you of this one!
- Amnesty for my neglect. I'm a busy gal, and sometimes I can't get to my plants for two days... or three... or four. When I had a vegetable garden, this was problematic (note that I'm using the past tense). With the exceptions of seedlings and very young plants, succulents actually seem to prefer it when I neglect them for a little while.
- Collective fanaticism surrounds them. Maybe this is true of lots of things, but I adore the photos, writings, and community that surrounds succulents. Succ-ers are a lot of fun, and getting to know other succulent gardeners and attending events like the Succulent Celebration has been awesome. There is SO much to learn, and I never seem to tire of it.
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