Splendid Succulents

My garden bed has been put to sleep for the winter, but my indoor garden is as vigorous as ever! Most of that indoor garden is composed of succulents – plants that have thickened or fleshy parts such as the jade plant. I consider succulents to be a splendid addition to the indoor garden for three fantastic reasons.

Okay, I admit it: I’m a very tactile person. I get in trouble at museums because I always want to touch things. Smooth or rough, fine-grained or bumpy, textures fascinate me. Succulents satisfy this urge to touch because their “leaves” are fat and firm, and just a bit squishy. I love to gently squeeze succulents, feeling the resistance under my fingers. (By the way, if your succulent is too squishy, it needs water!)

 2. Succulents Are Forgiving

With a million things on my to-do list, watering my plants does (occasionally) get missed. While other plants wilt when this happens and look so pathetic that you can almost hear them whimper, succulents just shrug and wait until you remember to direct a few drops of water their way.

 3. Succulents are Geometric

I’m big on the wild, unpredictable, organic flow of the garden. Vines that corkscrew their way to the sky, petunias that spread into colorful blankets, gaura that waves like butterflies in the breeze. But clean, crisp geometric forms also enchant me, and this is where succulents have no rival. Many succulents create intricate, repeating geometric forms as they grow, providing a visual interest unlike any other plant.

So go out and get a succulent or two to put on your windowsill! Just remember: nurseries often sell adorable succulents in little one- or two-inch pots. They look so cute that you think, “I’ll just get one more … and one more … and one more …”

 At least, that’s what happened to me.