Succulents

So I've recently gotten really stung by the succulent bug.. I've had succulents before but now, all of a sudden, I've really become very interested in them.. It started because somebody had posted a picture of a succulent they have called hens and chicks.. They are called that because you start with one plant and it grows a bunch of little babies all around it.. The babies are called chicks.. (In the succulent world in general, these are called pups..) So I started looking around online but hate having to spend extra money on shipping.. Not that I'm cheap.. But when you buy one little plant or two, the price of the plant can basically be doubled when you add shipping.. And when you're working with an almost nonexistent budget, pennies can count..

Anyway, Randy and I were out running errands and I wanted to go by Lowe's because I knew they had a small succulent/cactus area there.. And that's when I found this!

Sempervivum 'Jade Rose'

And I only paid about $3 for it.. I was so happy..

I also used to have a succulent that I loved so much called a zebra plant.. It was the cutest thing ever.. I used to forget to water that thing all the time and it just kept growing.. But that's one of the beautiful things about succulents.. They require very little water and actually don't do well if you water them too much.. And some of them have some really pretty flowers.. Besides the fact that they come in so many textures and some really pretty colors.. Yes, yes I have become infatuated..

I can already see I that I need to set limits for myself so right now I'm limiting myself to the sempervivums, haworthia (the zebra plant is part of that species), and I also have somebody sending me some clippings of a jade plant.. But I'm mostly just sticking to the sempervivums and haworthias.. That will be bad enough though because there are hundreds of varieties in those species alone.. I also found a succulent leaf laying on a shelf with a tiny little baby growing on it so I brought it home too.. I looked it up and it's called a Mexican Ghost Plant.. Many succulent are propagated that way.. You just take a leaf off the plant, put it in some soil or just lay it out to dry.. Keep the soil only slightly moist and in a couple weeks it should start growing a baby..

The only thing I don't like about succulents is they don't necessarily go with my 'grow things you can eat' ideas.. Most succulents anyway.. A succulent called purslane can be eaten and is supposed to be very nutritious.. (Have a mentioned purslane before? I can't remember..) You've probably seen purslane before and not realized it because most people look at it like a weed because it does grow like a weed.. It grows just about anywhere.. Even in the cracks in a driveway.. I think once I get my raised bed box made and my veggies planted, I might plant some purslane in it also and let it fill in between the veggies..

Anyway, I could go on all day about my new love but I think I'll go look at some more succulents.. = )