Summer Growing Project: Tiny Plants

Trying my luck with a few more little plants.  I am hoping these little succulents and the tiny cactus will be more resilient and I will pay closer attention to their soil and sunshine.  These are the three I recently bought.

Last weekend I bought a couple of new little pots and proper soil for cactus plants and succulents.  The taller guy in the back was shooting up already and when I talked to someone at the nursery and showed her the photo she suggested clipping just the top and setting him in front of a window that gets full sunshine that he might grow outwards more than straight up.  Apparently where I had him before he was reaching for the sunshine.

I have no idea why, but the plant in the blue pot seems more like a he and the smaller gal in the brown pot like a she!

The little cactus (indeterminate whether it is a he or she and am I totally silly for even contemplating that it should be a he or she?) is staying downstairs in my dining room.  We'll she how it goes.  The pot is very contemplative, isn't she?  I have the urge to buy more tiny plants, but maybe I should see how these go.  I have had them in the original plastic pots for a few weeks and now just a few days in their proper new homes.  So far, so good.  I can't decide if I should try and name them.  I am not even sure their proper names.  I think the tiny gal is an Echeveria.The tall gangly guy?  Maybe just another variety of the same type?  And my little cactus friend?  I think it is just your garden variety generic little cactus.  

There is a serious cuteness factor to them, though, don't you think?

Comments

[Linda]

I had two little plants when I was still living at home in my twenties. One was a little climbing fig named "Les," and one was a mammaria type cactus like yours named "Gerald." So, no, I don't think it's funny that you wonder if they are he's or she's. :-) Someone gave me an African violet when I retired. She is currently having flowers again after being blossomless in the fall and winter. Her name is Hyacinth, after the redoubtable Mrs. Bucket ("that's Bouquet").

[Smithereens]

First prize for cuteness! I have no green thumbs whatsoever, so I won't give you any piece of advice but I hope these ones are here to stay!

[Readerlane]

Your plants look lovely, and the pensive cactus pot made me laugh. I don’t have a green thumb, but I have two surviving houseplants which I’m just getting ready to put outside for the summer—more light for them and less watering for me ;). Good luck with your cacti and succulents

[Jeane]

They're cute! I think your tall one is a variety of crassula- otherwise known as jade plant. Good luck with the little guys!

[LizF]

Jeane is right, your taller plant is a crassula, known as both the jade plant and also a money plant because its state of health is supposed to reflect the state of your finances!. They are one of my favourite house plants because they are really easy to grow ( so long as you don't overwater them!) and can get quite sizeable - just be careful not to knock any of its leaves off!

[Danielle]

Okay, so now that I have determined which way they lean--he, she or either (in the case of the cactus), I guess I have to see what names pop up! I have had friends name their cars and bicycles, so why not?! ;)

[Danielle]

I have severely limited greenness in my thumbs, so I hope I can maintain these cuties. Amazingly I do have a few plants that I have owned for years, but they are of the sort that are very very Very low maintenance!

[Danielle]

Isn't she funny? I have the same pot at work. This second one was a gift from the holidays so I am happy to finally get a cactus for her to think about! I want to buy another one and repot the plant that is in the bigger pot. I'm not sure where this burst of plant energy is coming from but I hope I can keep it up.

[Danielle]

I did a little search and there are many types of jade plants--thanks for the heads up. I could not quite find this one but I am sure I can look in a book perhaps. I hope I can inspire them to hang around for a while. I check on them every day when I get home from work--how crazy is that!

[Danielle]

I like the sound of that! We'll see what sort of luck I have with the jade plant--I suppose state of finances is a variable sort of term. I can pay my bills, but will I ever be rich? Maybe that is why I have picked such a tiny plant--lol. I did notice that even in a semi-sunny spot it was growing already, so I hope that in a south facing window that will get some good daylight it will do even better. I snipped the top as instructed by the lady at the plant nursery, but it seems okay so far. She said it would hopefully expand out a bit rather than keep reaching up. I have experience, with that prickly pear, of losing appendages--in the case of the cactus--it's pads starting falling off and then I knew it was doomed. So far so good with this. I am happy to hear they are hearty plants--just what I need!

[Kathy Johnson]

They are adorable, as most tiny things are. I really love that cute contemplative pot. I hope they thrive for you.

I had a similar experience with orchids when I first started keeping them. I bought some, some died, and nothing re-bloomed. I finally decided I wasn't going to buy any more (orchids are addictive) until something re-bloomed, and eventually something did. I've learned how to care for them better over the years, but there are still casualties occasionally.

[Danielle]

I think they are hanging on okay now. I did repot and move them from one window to another so I think they have needed to adjust but so far they seem okay. I guess you just have to figure out what the plant needs--such a pity there is not a better way to communicate (other than seeing something fall over and collapse for lack of correct care--which is how it always seems to work for me).