Gardening with Galligan — A passion for succulents, Part two
or maybe three quarters of an inch more to go.
Onward with succulents…
So many surprises! First — and perhaps best — the discovery that Stephanie Needham Sareyani, with whom I have been joined at the garden hip for several decades, was an enthusiast and, as usual, knowledgeable. Why had the subject never come up between us? Who knows, but it hadn’t until she read my last column and then arrived with cartons of supplies and plant material. Yay!
The next surprise — the habits of growth and propagation of succulents. I briefly checked websites for their history and learned of Christopher Columbus bringing cacti back to Queen Isabella and Vasco de Gama having found succulents in both Africa and India. But nowhere did I discover any confirmation of my firm belief, i.e., that they arrived here from outer space, the seeds perhaps clinging to a meteor fragment or some other space detritus. I say this because succulents defy all the usual rules or procedures of propagation, which experienced gardeners know well. They seem, quite literally, other-worldly.
For example, Stephanie showed me a fragmented leaf. “See all these little bumps at the end of each fragment?” she said. “Well, just lay the leaf on any soil, don’t waste good soil because the soil doesn’t matter, and the little bumps will send down roots and you’ll have new plants.”
The soil doesn’t matter? The soil is always the most important thing!
Well, not now.
“Dig the leaf into the soil a little?”
“No.”
“But water it, right?”
“No.”
“Just lay it there?”
“Right.”
Just lay it there. Who ever heard of such a thing? The answer: people who know about succulents. But you have to admit it does sound like something from another planet, Christopher Columbus and Vasco de Gama notwithstanding. Succulents probably arrived centuries before those guys were even born!
Before the last column was published, I went back online to do some succulent shopping. There were many gorgeous options, including expensive terrariums, which were inspirational since they all used wood as a base. So, why not make my own?
I started looking along roadsides and then with Stephanie on board, through her woodlands. We found great possibilities. We pondered two avenues: one was to first strip the wood, sand it, stain it, polish it and then make holes to hold the succulents. The other was to leave the wood in its natural condition, just gouging out the necessary holes. I found one log I really, really liked and have been following the second path. I’ve dried it thoroughly and am still making holes. When they’re deep enough, as in a couple of inches, I’ll plant.
When it’s finished, I’ll put it on a marble-topped end table. It will just lay there quietly, doing no damage. I’ll carry it to the kitchen twice a month to water it carefully, not wetting the wood, and put it back. No saucers, no nothing. Heaven, right?
Then, there’s Becky Smith in her flower shop, always a place to go for more than plants, as in information. Yes!!! Plenty of succulents and like Steph, she knows a lot. She named for me the plantings I took to her for identification purposes and then blew my mind with the planted seashell in the photo. I would never have thought of planting in a seashell! But isn’t it great looking? Yes, eventually they’ll be too big. But then I’ll just detach one or two, plant them elsewhere and let the survivor take over.
Now for a little information. There’s a book, “Succulents Simplified,” by Debra Lee Baldwin with art by Laura Serra, Timber Press, Portland, Ore.; it’s sort of “Succulents for Dummies.” Very helpful. Enjoy. Happy spring, finally.
