About me

About me
🌿 I've been gardening ever since a child, when I spent time with my father in his vegetable garden. But my fascination with Echeverias started in the 1980's, when my father gave me a pot with five Echeverias, which turned out to be E. imbricata. At first I wasn't much interested in them and planted them in some obscure corner of the garden and completely forgot about them. How great was my surprise when, a couple of months later, I noticed that they had spread and made a beautiful display - I was hooked!

Sunday 24 January 2016

Mother-in-law's tongue

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm
 
A watercolour sketch of Mother-in-law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii) in a pot.

Indigenous to South Africa, it is also known as the Snake Plant. It is a truly remarkable and striking easy care house plant native to tropical West Africa from Nigeria east to the Congo. I remember my dad having one on a windowsill in our house, where it stood for absolutely years without any seemingly extra care. The modern trend in the average home is to keep the plant separate from others and have it standing bold and alone.

Summer growers. As with all succulents, Sansevierias require a well-drained mix and moderate watering. Water frequently during the warmer months and keep fairly dry through winter. To maintain their best shape and colouration they are best grown in dappled sunlight. Grows up to 3 or 4 feet tall.

Propagation is by division or leaf cuttings. Sansevieria is easy to divide because it has shallow roots. Simply turn the pot on its side and pull out the entire plant. Use a sharp knife to cut through the thick roots and pot each clump separately. To propagate Sansevieria by leaf cuttings, cut leaf into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces and place them right side up (the way they were growing) in moist perlite or cactus potting mix.

I don't have one of these plants, so getting one is next on my list!


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Friday 1 January 2016

Wishing you a simple 2016!

Euphorbia pseudocactus

If it were only all about organizing, spending less money, de-cluttering, or removing objects for the sake of simply owning less stuff, I would never have considered adopting simple living.

Take pleasure in the things you already have or want to buy. Living a simple life doesn't mean you can't appreciate beauty or own beautiful things. Be awed by the beauty and exquisite craftsmanship of your R10,000 handbag, and appreciate the painstaking hours it took to cultivate your magnificent cactus. The point is to remove all the extraneous stuff so that you can have the space – literally and figuratively – to focus all of your energy on the things that you value the most - your succulents!

Happy New Year and here's wishing you a simple 2016 filled with JOY, LOVE and HAPPY HOURS OF SUCCULENT GARDENING!

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