I want to talk for a bit about succulents. I love them. Their subtle color differences thrill me. The many shapes and sizes overwhelm me with joy.
For the last few years, the media has created succulent hype that rivals the royal wedding. Magazines like Better Homes and Gardens show succulents outside in beautifully arranged flower beds. Online mega sites like Pinterest show succulents in regal table centerpieces which enhance any decor. Florists even sneak them into wrist corsages and boutonnieres. And I covet every succulent I see in any setting.
Low Maintenance Beauty
I read how easy they are to have around. They require very little care. Once a person gets the right soil for these beauties, they can be planted in almost any container and thrive wonderfully. Very little water is needed because they store moisture in themselves. They are practically self sufficient.
So a couple of years ago I decide I need a few of these babies in my life. How fun would it be to have attractive self containing live plants to enhance my blah decor! My excitement bubbled as I shopped for supplies to go in my ideal succulent terrarium.
Start with Simple Succulents?
Before attempting this beautiful work of art, I start with just some Hen and Chicks to go outside. I plant them in a sandy soil pot and put them on my picnic table. Oh how I loved watching them! A few new chicks hatch here and there, and I think I am quite the succulent raiser! Since winter gets really cold here in the mid west, I take the Hen and Chick container inside, only to watch it slowly fade. It sits in a window and I water it here and there, but evidently something is amiss. When April rolls around and only one hen and one chick remain, I put the container back outside on a warm sunny day. Evidently the sun doesn’t shine warmly enough, because that day ends my hen and chick adventure.
So I buy another two varieties of succulents. These look like little greenish roses and vines. Turns out the birds love these guys. The flying fellows pick at the watery leaves and stems to quench their thirst. I combat this by wrapping my succulent container in chicken wire. Not real attractive. And it didn’t solve all my succulent problems. Even though the Hen and Chicks thrived in the summer sun, these two don’t like any part of it. I move the container to the east, south, sun and shade. They only became more pale and eventually dry up.
By this time I should realize succulents aren’t for me. But no, I move on to the indoor terrarium I dreamed of. Surely inside plants would be easier to manage.
The Jar
I buy a variety of little succulents and put them in a large jar. I make sure they have plenty of drainage and dry sandy soil. They look so cute at first! And to my delight they even start to grow! But it turns out that growing isn’t necessarily a good thing. When they don’t have adequate light, they get spindly and leggy, neither of which I find endearing. And my favorites, called Living Stones, die after a few months. I don’t have a great place for the remainders to get the light they need, so they will just have to be tall and wiry I guess.
Or maybe I will find another purpose for that big jar. I tried for that gorgeous terrarium but it wasn’t meant to be. Could this count as my first Pinterest fail?
Now I know that for me, succulents in general are better enjoyed in the stores and in pictures. 🙂
https://www.jodimnoord.com/spiritliftingblooms
https://www.jodimnoord.com/JanuaryGardening
https://www.jodimnoord.com/plantprogress
