LATE SEASON CATCH-ALL BLOG

My friend Carolyn gave me an old Borden's Creamery wooden box a few years back so I have re-purposed it as a shelf in the greenhouse so I can hold more pots of succulents. Last night we heard a funny "plop" sound but didn't investigate. Today I discovered that one of the succulent pots I brought in from the outdoors and put in the dining room was full of ants and they had actually "kicked out" an entire plant on to the floor. I immediately hauled the offending pot outside, dumped the soil and "quarantined" the plants to make sure that all the ants are gone. 

 The heavenly blue morning glory is so late this year that it is just now blooming! Too bad as cold temps tonite may finish it off for the season. 

Mr. A has been using his time wisely in the shop by painting yet another sign for his cabinets...this time the composition is all things Cord...a car built for only a couple of years in the late 1930's. I like the fall motif he used!

SUCCULENT SIGHTS

 One of my favourite succulents is Aeonium "Kiwi" potted up here in a vintage 1950's clay pot and sitting on an old antique folding chair. Lots of morning light in this location encourages the nice yellow and pink coloration. I appreciate its compact growth habit since it does have to spend the coldest months in the greenhouse.

This big boy (about 8" across) is the echevaria (pronounced ek-eh-vair-ee-ah) "Morning Light" growing in a planter with alyssum and a clematis. It too will get transplanted in the fall and moved into the greenhouse but it's fun to stick them in unexpected places for the growing season. 

IT SUCCS

 Got pots? Proof positive that I'll have to empty out a few more pots to have any space for other plants...the succulents are SUCCING UP all the shelf space!  

 I did manage to squeeze in one geranium at the back but I really need to downsize the succulent collection. I knew this but I kept hoping that they'd all fit. Well, not so much. By the end of October we'll be setting the heater (lower left corner) on about 52 degrees to keep everything happy. 

Sonia, the garden angel is squeezed into the opposite corner where she'll be nice and cozy for winter. 

SUCK IT UP FOR SUCCULENTS

 This concrete swan is a real treasure for a succulent gardener! I just about had the big one when I spotted this planter at TJ Maxx! I had to have it...even if I thought that I couldn't lift it into the cart without help! But I just sucked it up and heaved it in. I peeled the sticker off and gave it to the clerk at the checkout as I figured I had only one more lift in me...from the cart to the trunk of the car. Oh where is my undergardener when I need him? 
I filled the beauty up with graptoveria, echeveria and sedums.

 Other animals in my succulent menagerie include this owl...another TJ Maxx find that I filled with a trailing crassula and some hens & chicks.

We're promised a week of good temps (lows in the high 40's and highs in the 70's so I'm setting out my tender succulents this week. The pink center is a Fred Ives graptoveria. The blue are echeveria and the lime green are sedum in front and a miniature ice plant towards the back.  

BURRITO

 This specimen is Sedum "burrito," similar to the original, old fashioned S. morganianum or "donkey's tail." Thus the name...a more compact version of the original! Cute, huh!
Turns out that collecting succulents is also about collecting all kinds of pots and containers to show them off to their best advantage.

Since the burrito will eventually trail down the sides of its container, I needed something vertical. I found this urn at TJMaxx. Since it doesn't have a drain hole, I filled it with packing peanuts and set the plant container on top of them. This way I can take the container out to water it, let it drain and then put it back in the urn. I used some sandpaper to rough up the paint and make the urn look weathered.
It's part of my growing succulent collection rotating between the marble topped side board in the dining room and the heated greenhouse for the winter months. It can spend the summer outside where it gets afternoon shade.
Succulents make great houseplants because they don't need a lot of attention. Perfect for me! A little water once a week and about 4 hours of moderate sunlight keep 'em going just fine. And you can buy them at supermarkets (Grocery Outlet had a nice collection in August as did Fred Meyer). Lowe's has lots of variety of them (where I got burrito), plus the garden centers have them. The only thing you have to remember is that many are not happy outside in the winter and will not survive frost. So check the plant tag or better yet, get a book about them. I love "Succulent Container Gardens" by Debra Lee Baldwin. ($29.95 at Barnes & Noble.) Great photos and so many ideas...ooooh, so many succulents, so little space!