Some might love the clean and barren look of their homes after taking down the Christmas decorations, but I find myself missing all the beautiful fresh greenery. Gardening is a passion of mine, but when it comes to house plants… my thumb is not so green. I don’t know why I can’t do the “indoor” thing as well as the outdoor, but I can’t, well, at least not as well as I’d like.
I mean hey, we are busy people with kids and homework, jobs, and responsibilities out the wazoo! The last thing on my list is remembering to water the plants. Right? Then when I do remember …
I guilt water.
C’mon. Tell me I’m not the only one… I feel bad that I’ve neglected the little living species and I drown the poor things in an over abundance of “wash-the-slate-clean” water. Time to try something new; something that is hard to kill, something that doesn’t need my attention, something that actually prefers to be neglected, something interesting and beautiful. I am finding a new passion in…
Succulent Gardening.
Succulents are really becoming quite popular once again. There are so many varieties to choose from. All of them do not like a lot of water, but they do love indirect, bright sunlight. They don’t even necessarily need a lot of soil to thrive in. You can easily find succulents at all nurseries and big box hardware stores. I like buying a few large ones and then some tiny dollar pots.
I was actually surprised at how expensive many of the succulents are. Really, it’s ridiculous. Go for the tiny pots. They will grow quickly and often self multiply. They are so easy to propagate it’s crazy. I’ll explain how to do that in another post. Succulents need a very loose soil that drains easily. Normal potting soil hold too much water. I like using Miracle Gro’s Cactus, Palm & Citrus Soil.
What is so fun about succulents is that they will grow in almost anything. Take for instance this whelk shell my kids found on the shore. I placed a few spoonful’s of soil in it and planted an Echeveria succulent in it. How cute is this?
I have a shallow dish which I added several different succulents too and placed on my piano. There are many Echeveria, an aloe, a Hawthoria, and a few that I don’t know the a names of, but that’s ok! I even stuffed one in another whelk shell that was partially broken on top. The key to keeping these beauties alive is…
BASK THEM IN BRIGHT LIGHT.
NO NOT OVER WATER.
NEGLECT THEM.
THEY WILL LOVE YOU FOR IT!
Their roots must dry out for a few days. This is what triggers the plant into producing NEW roots. Then you may give them a nice watering. Never let them sit in water or even you will be guilty of plant murder, sad but true. Once a week to every other week watering (if that even) is more than ample for mature plants. And we are talking moist, not wet or soaked. Thicker fleshed plants need less frequent watering than thinner fleshed plants.
I found a blogger, Debra Lee Baldwin, who has been experimenting with succulents for quite some time and is an awesome resource for more specific “how-to’s” on succulents. Below is one of her photos of a succulent filled tabletop. How gorgeous is that?
Debra Lee Baldwin
Are you a green or brown thumb? Think succulents might be a smart choice for you? Try a few out and let me know what you think!
For more gardening tips & ideas, check out the GARDENING tab up top.
Kim
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I am guilty of killing a few succulents. I over-watered. It’s very shameful, but I am determined to try again because I love the look of them. I think I’ll try the soil you use. Thanks for sharing!
I’m guilty too, but I’m learning… slowly. 😉
I bought my first succulent this past fall. I love it, but I don’t think I get enough light in my house for it to grow well. It has grown tall and skimpy. I just love the blue/green color. Where are your succulents getting their light from?
Hi Leslie,
Yes, they need a lot of light but watch the direct light in summer. Some succulents can scorch. During the winter my piano room is flooded with sunlight all day long from several windows.
I am pinning this post. I love all my outdoor and indoor plants. Succulents are marvelous additions to anyones collection. A tip I would like to share with on watering is to use ice cubes and make your watering part of a ritual on a weekly basis. For instance I water my orchids on Saturdays and each pot gets 4 cubes. That way I control the amount and it takes the cube quite some time to melt. I use this method for many of my plants. Also when trying to root a clipping from your succulents, try wetting the piece and then dipping in cinnamon, works great as a natural root booster. Remember that a stressed plant needs neglect, little to no water, or food until it appears to be on the mend. Happy gardening.
Great advice Wende! I haven’t tried using cinnamon before. Interesting! Ice cubes work great too.
I adore succulents. I don’t have a lot of natural light in my house, so my indoor ones don’t thrive nearly as well as my outdoor plants – but I keep a few plants inside or decorate with cuttings, and my outdoor plants reproduce so quickly I never run out of them.
I love succulents! I especially love cold hardy ones that I can plant outside & they thrive, I have quite a few pass along succulents that were given to me by friends.
I have not had great results with the tender succulents that must stay indoors through the winter. I’m trying again this year. I planted a beautiful dish garden last fall & it looked pretty bad by the new year. I may be over watering. Anyway I never tire of seeing them & I hope yours does well. It’s beautiful.
I love succulents as well! Yours are beautiful! I have had mixed luck with mine…some thrive and some just go womp womp!
I have never done succulents… you make it look SO beautiful! 🙂
I’ve been wanting to try this for a while — I have a handful of very hardy houseplants that I manage to keep alive, but that’s it. I love the different textures of the succulents and that you can put them in all kinds of containers. Thanks for sharing, Kim!
xo Heidi
Ya know what girlfriend? I’m pretty sure we were separated at birth! Between the crafting style we share and now the less than green thumb with houseplants thing, LOL, we must be related! 😉
Kim, this is so pretty. I love how stuck one in a shell. I don’t really have a green thumb but this looks like something I could handle 🙂
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I’ve been wanting to create one of these succulent pots – thanks for the great post!
Succulents are my kind of plant for all the reasons you mention. A couple years ago, I planted succulents in a collection of chipped china cups. I loved how it turned out!
I pinned one of your beautiful succulent photos-thank you! Trish
I love the versatility and lovely jade and celedon shades of succulents!
Great photos! I am looking into creating a succlant garden myself and this is the last bit of inspiration I needed! Thank you!
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I linked to your post on my blog! Thanks for the great tips. Loving succulents!
Just wondering when you will be doing the post about propagating the succulents?
Hi Terri!
Well I was hoping to have already done it except the pot where I had a bunch of little propagations rooted was knocked off the table in a wrestling match between my hubs and sons…. ugh… men… So I’m having to start over. 😉
I’ve never been able to keep a plant alive – except for my Golden Pothos. I highly recommend that one. It’s not a succulent, but it likes high, indirect sunlight (perfect for indoors) and it doesn’t need a lot of water. (I think I remember to water it about once a week… if that!) I’ve had it for 7 years now and it’s doing great!
And thank you for this post – maybe I can have more than one houseplant now! 🙂
Hi, I recently received some succulent cuttings from a friend. They have no soil. I was wondering if they can be planted in sand? Kinda like how air plants are ok with sand.
Hi Chris, I don’t recommend trying to grow succulents in pure sand. The plants will not thrive. They need a growing medium that has nutrients. I recommend using a soil made specifically for cacti or succulents, which you can pick up at any Lowe’s, HD, or garden center. You can though grow them in a 50% sand & 50% cactus soil mix. Be sure though that the sand is clean and free of salt.
I have always had a black thumb when it came to my indoor plants. I had the fever after last Christmas to play in the dirt but snowing outside! So I planted succulents in a pretty, low pot – I tried to kill them by leaving outside on our porch after a surprise Spring cold snap but they rebounded in the summer. They are inside now in front of a window and so far – so good! Exciting! So cocky now! Reviving my orchid that hasn’t bloomed in several years! It has stem growth! Fertilizer and water – who knew!?!
Ha! That is awesome Dee! Congrats!
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