A SUCKER FOR SUCCCULENTS
Succulents should come with a warning as they are highly addictive. I started my collection with the idea of having a few attractive succulent pots and now I have … well, more than a couple. The problem is twofold. There are lots and lots of different succulents so the desire to collect is very high and most are exceptionally easy to propagate so there are always new plants coming on that then need a home, which leads to another pot.
My latest acquisition is an unusual succulent known as Buddha’s temple. It is a type of crassula (Crassula pyramidalis) with a tall, narrow, growth habit of overlapping leaves that does resemble a temple or pagoda. It was topped with a dome of pink flowers, which added to its appeal.
There were only a few of them on The Succulent Store’s stand at last month’s Blooming Tasmania Flower and Garden show and it only took me a nanosecond to decide one was coming home with me, despite the high price tag. Addicts don’t care about how much their hit costs but Damian Kerin, who operates Hobart-based specialist nursery, The Succulent Store, deftly reeled me in by explaining how he’d selected it from a batch of 200 plants and grown this tall, flowering form. I was hooked.
Damian too is a succulent addict. He admits to buying his first succulent 30 years ago from plant-collector and nurseryman Ken Gillanders and says he’s been a serious collector for 20 years. “That first purchase was a sempervivum and I now have 71 different varieties,” Damian says. “I’ve gone through phases collecting different types of succulents. I’ve had a sedum phase and a crassula phase and right now I’m in a sempervivum phase.”
One of the appeals of succulents for Damian is their colours. “Much like in a big box of Derwent colour pencils, there are colours in succulents you didn’t realise existed,” he says. “They also have such variety in their shapes and they are year-round plants.”
He started his succulent business five years ago. To build his collection and the offering through his online nursery, Damian imports succulents and has trawled through specialist nurseries in New Zealand and California.
Growing tips
Apart from the risk of addiction, succulents are great plants for our modern times. They are easy to grow, easy to care for, adapt well to growing in containers and small spaces, and are heat tolerant and waterwise.
Grow succulents in a specially formulated succulent mix or make your own free-draining mix.
Water them carefully and don’t overwater, which can be fatal. Avoid wetting their leaves, which can lead to fungal problems.
Damian Kerin also recommends watching out for mealy bug (which he says can be controlled with rubbing alcohol).
Although succulents are extremely drought tolerant, they do best if watered at least once a week in spring and summer but reduce watering as temperatures drop.
In winter I move my succulents on to a sunny but sheltered porch so they don’t get too much water and are protected from frost. Frost tolerance varies with succulents, some don’t turn a hair, some are damaged but recover while others turn into mush.
In high summer I move my succulent pots back into the sun but select a spot with afternoon shade as some suffer from too much direct sun.
Succulents grow easily from a leaf or stem and many also grow from seed. Because they are so easy to grow, don’t throw unwanted succulents or prunings into bush or wasteland where they’ll possibly survive, multiply and become a weed of the future.
Succulents are readily available at garden centres, plant fairs, markets and festivals, and online including from The Succulent Store (www.thesucculentstore.com.au).