I received a couple of succulents as a wedding "favor" this past April (thank you Heather!)
In tiny little plastic pots they were as cute as can be - but I have to admit I had no idea what to do with them. Ever the optimist, I kept them in a sunny window and hoped they would survive. Summer hit us here in southeastern New England with scorching heat and high humidity, and then stayed and then stayed some more. By the end of June I knew it was time to send these little guys outdoors. They certainly weren't making any progress inside. There was no new growth that I could detect, if anything, they seemed to be drying up, looking pale, and getting smaller.
I found a small, relatively shallow window box buried among the varied items in the garage where I keep gardening supplies and using an old African Violet soil mix I had (that perhaps was 4 or 5 years old) I gave them a new home on the back porch. Facing northeast, this spot gets about 8 hours of sun daily and is protected from any strong winds, although there was little if any of that happening during this heat wave we've been having. Then I literally forgot about them - the box sat on the outside overhang of the porch floor in an area not normally noticed. My gardening time was mostly spent tending potted herbs, growing vegetables and weeding perennial beds.
I found a small, relatively shallow window box buried among the varied items in the garage where I keep gardening supplies and using an old African Violet soil mix I had (that perhaps was 4 or 5 years old) I gave them a new home on the back porch. Facing northeast, this spot gets about 8 hours of sun daily and is protected from any strong winds, although there was little if any of that happening during this heat wave we've been having. Then I literally forgot about them - the box sat on the outside overhang of the porch floor in an area not normally noticed. My gardening time was mostly spent tending potted herbs, growing vegetables and weeding perennial beds.
Fast forward 4 weeks and wow, was I surprised!
One day I noticed how their colors appeared so very vibrant and the individual pieces (are they called leaves??) looked full, healthy and so much larger than before. One was even putting out baby plants on runners....little clones! I had planted them about 5 inches apart and now they had completely filled in those empty spaces!
So I do some research and discover that my "neglect" was exactly what they needed.
The poor soil and non-watering through hot spells provided the perfect environment for these little gems. Whether kismet or just plain luck who knows, but I love when it happens. Nature is a wondrous thing and continues to overwhelm me with her wide range of beauty.
I'm not letting go of these little treasures, so now I must find a way to transition them back indoors when the season ends. I'll let you know how that works out.
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