I was seduced by succulents several years ago and ended up with a greenhouse full of them and gained a lot of fascinating new insights into this exotic part of the plant world. In some ancient traditions, succulents are symbols of unconditional, timeless love. They can live a very long time and are incredibly efficient in their use of water, a substance essential to all forms of life. These properties associate succulents, even the thorniest of cacti, with life and the renewal of life, and with determination and strength in the face of adversity.
Succulents originally come from many different places and environments - deserts, Mediterranean climates, rain forests, even the Alps. Learning where each type of succulent originated enables me to design the best home environment for them. After experimenting with a lot of succulent species, I now propagate types that are “customer friendly” and easier to keep healthy at home. It’s important to me that my living succulent “arrangements” can thrive for a long time without requiring much work. And, it’s worth noting that some types of succulents only need water a few times each year, so they make the ideal house plants for people who have to travel frequently.
Keep On Blooming Boutique doesn’t use soil to grow succulents but rather a special rock mix that is custom blended for different types of succulents. Additionally, we drill drainage holes in the bottom of the pots, cups, or other containers we select for our succulent designs, and we provide written care instructions with each plant. Because of the differences in ideal growing conditions for different succulents, we plant only one type of succulent in each container, and each combination becomes a unique art piece – such as Wagging Tail, Dinosaur, and Smiling Face.
Wagging Tail was a hit with kids at the Davis Farmers Market, and I noticed that children seemed to be surprisingly interested in having their own succulent plant to take home and take care of – especially if it was in a fun and interesting pot like a happy dog, smiling cat, or green dinosaur. Succulents are a good way to seduce children into the wonder of plants and the importance of the natural world in all its variety. Fortunately, not all succulents are prickly, so there’s likely to be a good and friendly choice for any age.
