Falling in love with succulents, and gaining a mind that rests in the present moment
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Thanks to the author [Feiyue Caihong] for theoriginal submissionsharing
Submission date: April 14, 2018
Edited and compiled by: Encyclopedia Jun
Location: Taizhou, Zhejiang
That year I accidentally fell in love with herbaceous flowers, and there was no stopping it. On a tiny balcony, I sowed seeds, hoping every day for them to sprout, hoping every day for them to grow, and finally they bloomed... I started taking all kinds of photos. Back then I felt that waiting for the flowers to bloom was all for the sake of snapping away, hahaha. Not many photos were kept, and even now every time I look at them I still like them.
At that time I wasn't into succulents, and just kept two on the side. Every spring there would be a group buy for herbaceous flower seeds, so I got the seeds, flower pots, and planting medium ready for spring sowing. Just then, I was forced to move, changed to a small place, and the light hours and space no longer allowed me to keep growing flowers. I was sad and helpless, and later gave them all away, enduring the heartache. Hobbies still had to continue, so I started paying attention to succulents. It turned out succulents could be this beautiful too, and they didn't need much space, so I began tinkering.
At the beginning it was like this. I heard rainwater was good, so I hoped for rainy days and carried a small basket downstairs to let them get rained on. Beheading, pulling off leaves, all kinds of playing around, not much experience, and the results were disastrous. The Xiaomi Xing and Ophina in the picture are both doing well now.
The number started to grow, and I added a flower rack to the small balcony. Not many succulents from back then remain.
The Haworthia cooperi from back then. Thanks to the seller for still keeping the photo.
This year I learned to mist her with water, and she's getting better and better.
The balcony of the small place doesn't get many hours of light. From October to early April every year, plus with the security window, the sunlight is mild. Summer is hard to get through. The air conditioner's outdoor unit is on the balcony, so getting through summer is a problem. Sinking deeper and deeper, more and more succulents, no room left to put them, hehe, move them to my boyfriend's house. So began the life of moving back and forth and living apart from my succulents. To my mom, who doesn't play with any of this, I was fussing around so much she couldn't stand it anymore, and she secretly told him to make me stop buying and stop planting, since there was no room at home. I rolled my eyes, cursing a thousand times inside. The one thing our home doesn't lack is balconies.
Later, when I brought new succulents back, I secretly moved them upstairs. Dad was in charge of watering, the watering schedule unknown, and I let Dad figure it out. We occasionally went home, and I was in charge of tidying the dead leaves, and by the way I praised Dad, saying he raised the succulents so well, and he'd be all happy. On the balcony at home, the succulents can enjoy full sun in winter, with big temperature differences. In summer there's no direct light and good ventilation, so getting through summer is no problem. After autumn begins, the autumn tiger is dangerous, and in the past two autumns quite a few died. This year I need to find a way.
Echeveria haleyna
Leaf-propagated Echeveria 'Orange Monroe'. I love doing leaf propagation, but not many succeed. Succulents can be shaped from a young age.
A whole pot of leaf-propagated Graptopetalum paraguayense, very plump and fat.
Forgot the name
Little pups, I like them not growing big like this
The Red Claw after I once randomly beheaded it.
Echeveria 'Haibing Gerui'. In its first summer after arriving, it went through a crazy mealybug infestation and almost... It never had good color, and this spring it was beautified.
This year the color is even brighter. Haha, I always think about it growing little pups.
A pot of soft pink
That year I sowed several hundred seeds, and 2 survived. It's been some time, they grow a bit slowly, but I love them just the same.
How it looked last spring.
Wow, how it looks now, even more beautiful.
The Xiaomi Xing from 2017, when it was semi-outdoor grown
How it looks now, so it's better suited to semi-outdoor growing.
The Sempervivum from that year, tinkered with several times.
How it looks now
Sempervivum tectorum. Recently Dad dug up a bunch from a neighbor. I said the small ones we have here are exactly Sempervivum tectorum, but he didn't believe it. Haha, I replanted them, waiting for next year's comeback.
The Pink Moon Shadow from 2017. How it looks now, seems like it's crested.
The always plump and fat Opalina.
Leaf-propagated little pups
The colorful crayon that dried out last autumn, so happy, it came back to life, getting better and better.
The Jelly Nüchu in the middle.
The ruby that's always this vivid.
Benba, also grown big now
When in full color it's a bit red, but I prefer it like this.
The Golden Star cactus, a small ball I bought when I graduated from elementary school. The price back then was not cheap. Placed on its own and hardly paid any attention to. (Photo downloaded from Moments, a bit blurry)
The result of neglect: the roots dried up, so I repotted it. It's been quite a few years, time to love it properly again.
Last spring
Last summer
That year, because I read an article by a master, I gradually got the hang of growing succulents, mainly in small pots, buying pre-mixed soil to save trouble. Many friends ask why I can grow them well. Besides choosing good quality when buying, the other thing is love. I go over and say hello to the succulents, wishing them all well, and when tending them I pick up each pot one by one and look them over carefully. I learned to wait. As long as they're alive, they'll all have their most beautiful time. Usually I don't live at home, and when I miss them I come back to see them, and when I can't come back I look at photos. Actually, sometimes I get lazy, and when new succulents arrive I leave them for quite a few days without planting, until he speaks up, saying I'm not allowed to buy any more, and that if I buy them I should treat them well. So that I can still get more succulents later, fine, I'll plant them.
This year's spring, a hazy photo.
Some varieties, maybe we just don't have enough fate together, and I fail every time I try to grow them. I don't dare get them again, they're all lives.
So many new buds sprouted.
Sometimes laziness kicks in and I don't give them water for a long time, and in the end they get tortured to death.
The new succulent babies planted in the place this year, roots well established. Looking forward to next spring's comeback.
I treat them as treasures and generally don't give them away, and it's the same even for my own dad. Please forgive me, I'm afraid it won't be good for the succulents and they won't be cared for properly. If the other person also loves succulents, then when there are leaf-propagated seedlings of the same variety, I'll share them.
I have a habit: as soon as I get up in the morning, toothbrush in mouth, I first go to the balcony to check on the succulent babies; as soon as I get home, I first look at the succulents. I have a habit, same as everyone, of waiting every night for Encyclopedia Jun to push the articles everyone submitted, and after reading them I go to sleep. There's a state of mind called resting in the present moment, and that's how it is when planting succulents and tending them.
(Photos taken with phone and camera) Sharing with friends who love succulents.
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