My Succulent Life: Cherish the Present, a Moment Is Eternity

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Thanks to the author [Yang Yang] for theoriginal submissionsharing

Editing and organizing: Baike Jun

Location: Beijing

Morning

 Still Walking Still Walking Soundtrack 

GONTITI 

00:00/02:52

Falling in love with succulents seemed to happen in an instant. The writer Zhou Guoping once said: "By nature I do not like socializing. On most occasions, I either find the other person boring, or I fear the other person finds me boring. But I am neither willing to endure the other person's dullness, nor willing to make the effort to appear interesting; both are too tiring. Being alone is the most relaxing, because I do not find myself boring; even if I am boring, I bear it myself, without burdening others, and without needing to feel uneasy." I deeply feel the same way. When I am with plants, I am quiet and at ease, immersed in them, feeling happiness.

In December 2015, this little seedling was spotted at a glance by A Bao Bao. We carefully brought it home, potted it up, and later it slowly grew. In the summer of 2017 it even got sooty mold, and now it has slowly recovered and is full of vitality again. - "Aeonium 'Sunburst'"

In December 2015, when Allen arrived, a small branch had broken off. I planted it in a little bear pot, and the broken branch slowly lifted its head, sent out new buds, and began to slowly tint pink. Later it was as beautiful as a flower, as if it had grown a pair of wings. However, because I love fussing over things, I was afraid they would not have enough room, so I changed them to a bigger pot, and they still have not recovered. - "Echeveria 'Allen'"

Planted in early 2016, after two years it is now a large cluster. When it bloomed last winter I removed the flower buds and planted them in a thimble pot, which was very cute. This year I finally could not bear to do it, so I just let it bloom. - "Sedum clavatum"

On a clear winter afternoon, air-drying roots and mixing soil to plant succulents is a particularly beautiful and interesting thing. Back then, every weekend I would drag A Bao Bao along to visit the surrounding greenhouses, and I could never get enough. Although there were so many varieties that they were dazzling and I could not remember the names at all, there were not many varieties I liked; I was especially fond of the kind with a fairy-like air...

I have always liked it, and have planted quite a few one after another...

By the way! Did you notice the black coal ball?

- "Echeveria 'Hakuhou'"

At the New Year in 2016, we brewed rice wine and made lily balls

The two sisters of Echeveria 'Peach Pride' give off the breath of spring~

In 2018, we found a little dog and sent it to a new home

Wishing that everything will get better!

- "Echeveria 'Peach Pride'"

For all beautiful imaginings. - "Echeveria 'Afterglow'"

There are too many bubbles in the washing machine, and they have overflowed~

The little one bares its teeth and claws; usually there is no need to worry at all

- "Sedum morganianum"

Different seasons, different colors, different leaf shapes...

Last autumn it had black rot, shrinking from one big plant to one small plant

Hey, let us start over together! - "Echeveria 'Guanghan Gong'"

This is probably the earliest succulent. In 2014 my mom bought it online on Taobao. By the time I returned to Beijing at the end of 2015, it was still alive and strong. I changed the soil and changed it to a small flowerpot, and it slowly grew sturdy and produced a large batch of babies. - "Crassula capitella 'Campfire'"

Xiaomi plus stars, a super easy-to-grow child

Very tough, no need to worry, and it will burst the pot to show you

- "Crassula 'Tom Thumb'"

Raised from a mini seedling; succulents are like your own children

More worrying than cats. - "Graptopetalum paraguayense"

Spring arrives, giving off a lemony clarity. - "Sedum adolphi"

In December 2015, pink and in a small pot, now it is already a big pot, still pink, smiling at me every day all year round. - "Graptopetalum mendozae"

In a mixed pot, very inconspicuous

One day in February it suddenly bloomed a flower, dazzlingly bright

The petals glowed with peach-pink fluorescence, opening every day at two or three in the afternoon

When the sun began to set, it also slowly closed up

- "Bergeranthus multiceps"

In the winter of 2016, slowly turning pink, turning pink, turning pink again

When it turned pink to the extreme, it passed away... - "Echeveria glauca"

At two years old she still lives in this small pot. After black rot last year, the stem shrank entirely, but she stubbornly stood back up relying on newly sent roots, and now she still has a rosy little face.

- "Echeveria 'Shaoxiu'"

A Bao Bao's favorite, living in the refrigerator, its green complementing everything beautifully

- "Aeonium 'Zwartkop'"

This veteran succulent was raised from a tiny double-headed plant. In the summer of 2016, one of the heads died from black rot, and then a new baby grew. Compared with Echeveria 'Orange Monroe', Echeveria 'Furong Snow Lotus' has thicker powder and slightly narrower, longer leaves. The flowerpot came from Tengchong; hunting for flowerpots has become a great pleasure. - "Echeveria 'Furong Snow Lotus'"

The way it looked when small; now it is a super large one

The flower that bloomed in January lit up the whole winter...

- "Echeveria 'Chihuahuaensis'"

My first planting of succulents, and falling in love with succulents, all began with it.

- "Echeveria 'Yudie'"

I first saw Echeveria 'Yudie' at the home of Zhuoma's mother's younger sister. In the yard, in a broken flowerpot, the yellow soil was cracked dry, yet this extremely drought-tolerant plant had bloomed strings of little pink bells. My aunt picked a few for us, Zhuoma's mother planted a big one in a flowerpot, and I also brought one back to the county, planted it carefully, and placed it on the windowsill. At that time I still did not know her name. Whenever I went far away, I would leave them outside the windowsill. The little ones grew very sturdy through sun and rain. Later, when I left Gongbo'gyamda and returned to Beijing, I specially brought one back. Only later, looking back, did I realize that the original one had been such a huge old stem. In November 2016, when I went to my aunt's house again, that big old stem had already passed away, leaving only a little one.

This is the one brought back from Gongbo'gyamda, packed in a condensed milk can and mailed back to Beijing together with the luggage. At that time I did not know how to grow succulents, and put it in the kitchen and bathroom, where it grew leggy and eventually turned to mush...

Over these two years, I planted quite a few one after another, and they always loved to get black rot.

Very blue; in winter it turns into a cute bun. The flowerpot was a gift from A Bao Bao. At the beginning of the year the roots were not good, so I split the whole plant apart. After it re-rooted, it became lively and vigorous again! - "Echeveria 'Sasa Queen'"

The only Haworthia cooperi I have. It has sent out many small side shoots. When exposed to the sun it turns red. Grown covered all year round, its little windows become very translucent. - "Haworthia cooperi 'Purple Muscle'"

In 2017, in Kunming and Beijing, together with Bai Longma, I picked up a lot of PP. The flowerpot was found in Heshun Ancient Town. Traveling all the way, looking all the way, teapots, teacups, and all kinds of flowerpots, I carried back a big pile. - "Lithops"

PP are hard to figure out: with too little water they wilt, with too much water they play disappearing acts. Every time I am very careful. But Xiao Xiao Mi does not care whether you treasure them or not. Her little paws dug out the two biggest ones, biting and chasing them, having a wonderful time, and in the end it all ended with my roar. The injured Pleiospilos nelii finally began to shed its skin this winter, taking off its coat full of tooth marks.

A mix of four small ones, just like Crassula 'Tom Thumb', completely no need to worry - "Sedum 'Crayon'"

I started leaf propagation at the end of 2016. In February 2017 the seedlings were thriving, and I kept them under controlled growing. No matter how much sun this pot gets on the indoor balcony, it does not color up much. - "Pachyphytum oviferum"

Time is the best proof; they will surely show you their beauty. - "Echeveria 'Blue Surprise'"

Dandan Mi likes to bask in the sun on this balcony and watch the sparrows outside. Apart from Xiao Xiao Mi occasionally causing trouble, the two of them are especially well-behaved and never ruin my flowers and plants. Even when I go out for four or five days, there is no need at all to worry about flowerpots being knocked over.

This table of the "cute and round series" includes some just planted and some raised for a long time. The pink ones best capture a girl's heart; I can never look at them enough, and I can never stop my hands from buying.

At the beginning of December 2016, that small patch of green moss attracted us. At that time she was small and thin. After two months of growing, I moved her out of the small pot, and she slowly grew. It took more than a year before she became round and plump. - "Pachyphytum 'Peach Egg'"

Everyone says there are many kinds of peach eggs. After growing them for a long time, I feel that they are actually all about the same, just in different conditions. But genes are a very important thing; you must choose the beautiful one. Now it is one year old!

Planted in December 2016, a year and a half old, with a small stem...

The little fox was planted last September, and is now half a year old!

The biggest one among the eggs; control it a bit and round it back!

The child of peach egg and Allen, does not like water

Compared with pink and star peach, it needs less worry

- "Graptopetalum 'Luoshen'"

I call her "A Cheng", and now she has a baby.

- "Hybrid, unnamed"

Except for the pink one, the others have all grown well

This Pachyphytum 'Peach Beauty' was very pink even when small, so genes are indeed important. At that time it was planted in a mixed pot, and later it grew leggy and ugly. I changed it to a volcanic rock flowerpot, but unfortunately the drainage was too good, and even watering every day could not keep up, so I changed it to this green glazed small flowerpot, and it slowly recovered. In summer it was sunned to a particularly pink color.

Does it look like the Little Prince's

In half a year, it grew a full size larger, and is especially pink

Recently I have had no time to take photos, so I cannot make a comparison

- "Echeveria 'Snow Angel'"

Compared with Echeveria 'Furong Snow Lotus', the leaves have less powder and it is easier to bring out its condition

- "Echeveria 'Orange Monroe'"

When just planted, very jelly-like; after the color faded, still very beautiful

Roxie and Sedum clavatum are completely different.

- "Sedum 'Roxie'"

It has been one year and two months since planting, and now they are pressed tightly together.

- "Astrophytum myriostigma variegata"

I never thought Echeveria 'Snow Lotus' could also be leaf-propagated. One leaf produced two, and there is also one super tiny one placed in a thimble pot. This one grows very, very slowly because the soil has a lot of grit, and now it is already seven months old. - "Echeveria 'Snow Lotus' leaf propagation"

Altogether I planted four or five Echeveria 'Snow Lotus', and all ended in black rot. This one was planted at the end of 2016, and I paid attention to and cared for it like a treasure. As a result, after watering last autumn there was no ventilation, and after black rot I promptly beheaded it and saved it again. Now it is a small one. I look forward to how you will look when grown! - "Echeveria 'Snow Lotus'"

In the summer of 2017, it began dormancy, and in early autumn in September it sent out new buds

I carefully recorded the whole process from sprouting to blooming

- "Albuca sp. fine-leaf spring grass"

One small bulb became two, curly... 2017.11.7

It formed flower buds... 2018.1.6

In twelve days, the flower stem grew much taller, and the buds showed color

2018.1.18

Seven days later it opened 2018.1.25

I was completely amazed by it; over the whole flowering season it bloomed more than ten flowers in succession

- "Bulbine 'Bennu Dragon'"

A pot I treasured very much. Because of one business trip, it was frozen by the window and did not recover. The two heads at the bottom were both cut off, which was a great pity. Ying ying ying~~ - "Echeveria 'Hakuhou'"

Echeveria 'Peach Pride', after beheading, stuck in a bottle to root

Two years later it will be a big pot again; plants can keep growing endlessly...

Very impressive, right? It can even sense that you are touching it

I recommend a book, "What a Plant Knows"

Little Pink grows very fast in spring. The reddened leaf on the right has already grown to 40 cm tall, and the new small leaf at the bottom is also more than 10 cm. I hope it will produce flowers next spring. Looking forward to it!

- "Epiphyllum 'Hehua Lingjian'"

On a winter afternoon, the narcissus blooms especially vigorously

The cats have fallen asleep...

On a spring morning, the amaryllis is dazzlingly bright

We tidy the room together...

I like all beautiful things

Yet inside I am a pessimist

So-called death is nothing but a brief separation

Cherish the present, a moment is eternity...

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This article has been authorized by the authorExclusive authorizationWeChat official account: Succulent Plant Encyclopedia (ID:duoroubaike); the article content does not represent the views or stance of the official account

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