Succulent Succulents

Ah succulents, you beautiful, not-spiky cacti!

Well, actually, according to Wikipedia: Not to be confused with cactus; botanically cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti.

But I digress. 

I think succulents are totally neat-o. I mean they come in so many shapes, sizes, colors, and textures, it boggles the mind! Last weekend, Mr. B and I went to the country to visit my parents. My mom and I took a trip to an awesome green house so I could pick up some seeds and other garden goodies, and I got totally sidetracked by succulents! Since I've never grown succulents before, the lovely woman who was working filled me in on all the growing basics. 

First off, succulents are made for arid conditions. That means you don't want to over water them, once every two weeks or so should do the trick. Secondly, they grow in very loose soil. You can buy cactus mix, which is fine, dry, sandy soil.

Another nifty thing she taught me was that you can start a new succulent off of one leaf! All you have to do is break off the leaf then place into the dirt and let it be. She said after a few weeks the leaf will start to root and your new succulent will soon take off. I tested it out, so we'll see!

Making your own succulent planter is beyond easy. Just pick out the varieties that appeal to you and find a pretty container to display them in. Succulents will grow and spread out so don't overcrowd your pot. Also, keep in mind, clay will aerate better than plastic. Succulents are very resistant to heat (duh, cactus) but not to cold. You'll want to keep them indoors until after the final frost of the spring and maybe a few weeks longer for good measure!

After I rearranged the layout a few times, I decided my succulent container was finito! 

XOXO, 

Mrs. B