Nothing is certain in life and the same kind if uncertainty that prevails in a gardener's life too. Just out of the blues so many of my okra plants died and all I am left with are my egg plants, spinach and tomatoes. If it is not the sun it's the pest, if we get rid of the pests it's the rain. Life is a constant battle nonetheless those who are in the battlefield have no time to feel bored. We are too caught up in the action of the present time to think about boredom. I did fight a losing battle in the vegetable garden so I can only journal about my succulent garden in my May #gardenjournal .
I did write sometime ago about my sun-scorched succulents, I did all I could to protect them which shifted my focus from the veggies to the succulents. and this costed me some of my veggies. I keep telling myself that I need to keep the bigger picture in mind and not lose focus.
Many of my succulents are thriving, making so many pups and looking vibrant while others look beat up. The fairy castle cactus which is the cover image was just a single stem when I bought it. This is now a luscious looking plant.
The crassula capitella/campfire is now a raging fire in my garden spreading its fire and warmth all around.
The aeonium was broken by a pigeon trying to sit on it, it is now flourishing and looking as if nothing happened to it. I have taken so many cuttings from this plant to prevent it from getting top heavy and toppling over. Birds will always be around, I need to plan for such accidents and incidents.
The lovely rose has multiplied mostly from leaves. These are fast growing plants compared to the other succulents. I guess the babies would be ready for gifting at Christmas time. Hmm.. my friends would surely have a lovely surprise.
The mamillarias are blooming regularly, at least two or three flowers everyday. There are so many buds but not all of them bloom together. I need to figure out a way to get them to bloom togther. I did try a few tricks but nothing really worked, hehe.
Here is the Echinopsis tubiflora opening its lightly perfumed buds in the steady rain.
My grafted plants are doing great. Some have gone on to multiply real fast. I had grafted a single coryphantha cactus and now there are three on one rootstock.
a multi level graft
Take a look at a few other plants I have grafted and are thriving.
The Kalanchoe Tomentosais or donkeys ears is standing tall and growing wide. I just removed a number of side branches and have grown them as individual plants.
Crassula muscosa or Rattail Crassula, or Watch Chain succulent is one attractive succulent which is easy to grow. just one segment is enough to grow into a lovely patch of greenery. You would find this succulent in almost all the succulent containers in my garden. I have the habit of taking segments of these and inserting then into every pot when I have the time. This one has a special place in my heart and in my garden.
Sedum adolphi is the most common plant in any succulent growers collection. I love the way it turns color in summer. It goes from a deep orange to deep red as the summer sun heats up.
These moonstones grow fatter and larger by the day and spread everywhere. Being slow growers they take their time to fatten up but the fat leaves break off to make many pups. They look so juicy and tempting.
The bunny ears are getting old and spreading wide. I am allergic to this plant's spikes. Hence, I have kept this away on the wall. It has just been growing and growing over the years.Small parts of the plant suddenly breaks off grows into a new plant.
The echeveria elegance is elegantly spreading herself all over my garden. This is one of the no fuss succulents. It thrives even with neglect.
Euphorbia lactea 'Cristata' is another plant that has been growing and growing like a wild forest. This one is about two feet tall. I have it in a small container and I don't let it grow much bigger. I keep it in a corner far from my pets as the spikes are very sharp and strong.
This senecio barbertonicus is my succulent mock pine tree. These have lovely yellow flowers at the tip of the branches. The branches can be trained to grow like a bonsai tree.
Sedum adolphii ‘Golden Glow has been growing rapidly. I got this as a part of a terrarium. All the other plants died in a couple of days after they reached me, I saved just this one and it has been growing wild.
I may not be able to show you all my succulents and cacti collection, but these make up about 30% of my collection. The problems we've faced this year have been unusual, summer has never been so bothersome I have had sun scorching my plants before but not so much my succulents.
I only hope they survive the long rainy season ahead of us.
Gardening is fun, but just as life is; it is packaged with trials and tribulations. We never know what the next day will bring all we know is that we need to be prepared for everything and face them as they come.
This makes gardening interesting, complex and challenging and fun. The fun part is when everything is in bloom and the weather is perfect. Those are memorable days, picture perfect moments when you go trigger happy with your camera. We never have perfect weather always and then the storms of pests come and a gardener's life becomes a battle.
What is life without a battle? Battles reveal to us how courageous and strong we are. Battles help us grow. A garden teaches us to grow without having to face the battle physically. Life goes on, like a garden moves from one season to another. I love these exercises in garden journal as it helps me keep track of what's happening in my garden. Thanks for staying with me patiently if you've lasted this long. This journal has been a succulent overload. I appreciate your time and support.
Happy gardening!