Okay, I’ll admit it: I’m not innately good with plants. I’m not a member of that special group of gardeners who just has a natural sense of when to water, how deeply to plant or what grows where. Yes, I’ve killed plants.
So it follows that on my quest to become a gardener – because I truly believe that anyone can be a good gardener if they’re willing to really try – I wanted to start with something easy. Something foolproof. Something you can’t kill (at least not easily). Enter succulents. Think about it: They can survive drought conditions (after all, they store their own water in their juicy leaves). They seem to flourish where nothing else wants to grow – in desserts, among rocks, in poor soil. They grow in the ground or in a range of containers, and they come in all shapes and sizes. You can even get varieties that flower beautifully if you want color! All they ask for is a little well-drained soil, appropriate levels of light and water and – if you want them to really shine – a few nutrients and plenty of warmth. Different succulents (and their cousins, the cacti) thrive in different climates. Some prefer dry sun, while others like moist shade. But as a rule, they’re easy to grow (and great plants for beginners like me). I got my first little potted succulent a while back, and so far, we’re getting along famously. I only made the mistake of overwatering once. (I forgot that it doesn’t really need any water until spring and summer, when the plant is actively growing.) Anyway, as I was reading up on succulent care and maintenance, I kept coming across articles about propagation – which simply means, in this case, that one plant can produce lots of plants if you know how to help it along. According to what I read, propagating is relatively easy and quite rewarding.
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