Sunday, April 25, 2010

terrarium fun

I spotted this totally sweet terrarium tutorial on M Stetson Design while I was poking around on the web today. The final product reminds me a bit of my small hurricane fellow, Desert Beauty, with the cool leopard spotted tips. Only this one is quite a bit bigger! M Stetson has some great reccommendations I plan to try, like laying down a layter of horticultural charcoal on top of rocks for drainage at the bottom. The charcoal lessens the chance of bacteria and mold - a very good thing. Plus, what a cute way to package the terrarium as a gift. Check out the rest of the tutorial and get yourself to some terrariuming.

more from the garden

Meet some of the latest newcomers to my geophyte garden.

U N D E R   T H E   S E A  /
In another of those lovely tall, terracotta pots lie sea anenomes, leafy kelp, sea grass and bubbles. This garden was inspired by underwater environs and creatures. The muted colors and soft textures make this piece look almost like it is  hiding under salty, murky waters. The lime green fellow in the front is called a Sedum 'Apple Green'. Such a pretty shade, like a Granny Smith.

D A R W I N ' S   S U I T C A S E  /
Found the most fabulous new succulents at Green Gardens today. Had aspirations of paying a visit to Solana Succulents (it will blow your mind) and Blossoms & Barrels in Encinitas, but it was so very cozy in cloudy La Jolla...we just couldn't leave.

I am happy I chose to go to my old favorite because they had some spectacular new plants! I found more of those little nodes. The multiple pots all together are gorgeous with subtle varieties in the greens. Their official name is quite exotic - Fenestraria rhyopallophyla (from South Africa!). I picked up the ones with the most blush on their tips. I also spotted the plump, purple and green speckled fellow and a Split Rock (the small, mottled purple and pink one near the front). These two are prettily prehistoric - a nice contrast in this collection of succulents. The round guy also is also a mouthful - Euphorbia Obesa. Um, 'Big Sexy' indeed.
  


D E S E R T
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This little beauty is my new favorite. I found this fabulously priced hurricane style container at Michael's for $6. With a spot-tipped leafy guy nestled in a mess of Fenestraria rhyopallophyla, the color of the light sand is refreshing against the warm, rusty brown and sage green palate of this garden. Leafy fellow was a scavenger score from Girard.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

afternoon succulents

Ever since I was introduced to succulents (geophytes - but of course you knew that), I was enthralled. "You can just snap a piece off, plant it...and a new plant grows?" Heck yes. "You only have to water them once a week?" Yep. Simply put, they're rad. Big thanks to my honey's mom, Torrie, for sharing her love of these neat plants with me.

Speaking of love, there is a lot to love when it comes to succulents. They are drought friendly - perfect for our Southern California environs, pretty tough to kill (yes, you can go on vacations - they'll live!), and there is such a wide variety that I spot new ones all the time. Not to mention to beautiful colors that they come in. Plus, ignore them for a while and guess what? They just might surprise you and sprout a stalk or two...and maybe even some flowers.

Suffice to say, all of my friends are now as stoked as I am on these neat little guys. My girlfriend Liz from Seigel-Thurston Photography came by this afternoon to get her plant on with me. First, we stopped by Tuesday Morning in Pacific Beach to find a great (bonus: inexpensive) pot for Liz. This was my first time scoping out pots at Tuesday Morning and I was surprised by the selection. So, check it out sometime the next time you feel inspired, but your wallet doesn't. My crackled yellow pot is from Anthropologie (one of my favorite places to grab fun pots).

We sauntered over to Green Gardens in Pacific Beach to pick up our goodies. I love this nursery. Right now, they house all of the smaller succulents in the front with the big guys in the back. Be sure to walk around the whole place - you never know what you'll find. We each spent about $15 and picked up a cool 4 or 5 succulents. Liz also snagged a few on a location scouting session in Old Town (sweet).

To add a bit of character to our plantings, we included pebbles and moss (all from Green Gardens, naturally). You can try sand (on top of the soil - do not use it as your mix), larger rocks or bark as well. On to the fun part: I love the deep eggplant purple of the spiky succulent in the front and the softly jagged edges of the tall leafy fellow nearby.

You can spot one of my new favorite succulents hidden among the larger ones - they're light blue-green and look like tall nodes, coral, or tiny fingers. If you ever use these, be sure to plant them far enough in the soil or the ones along the edge of the planting will dry up. I have found that when I put a new home together for my succulents, colors that compliment one another really work best. I tend to use blues, light yellowy-greens and anything with a hint of purple or fuchsia. A pop of color is absolutely necessary. The lime green of the floral pointed guys in the back looks gorgeous against the deep purple of the one in the front. The light sages and sea foam green accents ground the more saturated succulents nicely.

So, go get some succulents (nursery or scavenger style, I don't judge) and get started! Send me photos of your latest. I'd love to see what you've made.

Monday, April 19, 2010

i tweet too

Check me on twitter for the little tidbits that don't make it to the blog. www.twitter.com/succulentsister

a warm welcome please

Say hello to the succulents. These are just a few of my latest favorites among the garden. Do stay tuned to meet the big cheese (it's my pride and joy).

F L O R A   B I R D B A T H  /
A light purple, fuchsia tipped succulent surrounded by dangling beads, light sage fellows and deep purple-green flowery guys planted in a recycled birdbath (psst: great drainage without having to drill a hole). I chose many of the plants in this piece for their floral shape. The colors play nicely together, especially joined by rich, multicolored pebbles.


W I L D   O N E  /
It's got a mind of its own. In one of my favorite crackled pots (via Anthropologie), loads of dangling beads, dayglo pink flowers, prehistoric-looking spiky fellows (thanks Torrie!), kelp-like, sky reachers, and leopard spotted leafs just plucked from Green Gardens, this one is absolutely wacky. And I love it.





R A B B I T   P A R A D I S E  /

This guy lives in an elegant, slender terracotta pot (Green Gardens is clearly after my heart). Loads of leafy greens and strung peas with a seafoam green and purple cabbage-like gal in the front are just a few of my favorite things in this crowd of succulents. It has been growing outside for a few months and is blooming beautifully. I like to think it looks like a vegetable garden.