I thought I would examine how it has evolved to what it is now, which is still succulent corner, but with a few more additions and one noticeable subtraction. I have no idea about proper names for these guys, maybe succulent specialists could help, or a concerted net check, but I prefer the Inept Balcony Gardner Names, much more fun. This is succulent corner as it stands now.
We have this guy below, who was an original succulent on the BG. He and a couple of other succulents were procurred on a strange foraging trip whereby some friends and I went to country garden waste dump sites and liberated cuttings from where they had grown. These plants were not meant to be growing on the side of the road, it is not like they were someone's precious garden bed. They simply grew from garden waste dumped on a side road in the backlots of the countryside. We gave it a good potted home.
Christmas Succulent was also procured this way, and he lived here for two Christmases. Alas he got too unwieldy for the BG and was axed. We have a little cousin of his growing here now.
We have two of this kind though only the larger one is pictured below, one was garden waste like the two before, the other came as a prize at a quiz night.
Infact I did pretty well at this quiz night because I also claimed the the other two in the pictures below. These smaller ones are my favourites, much more unique and the flowers in spring were a surprise hit.
There is a guy at the Vic Markets, which are a stone's throw away, who sells lovely wierd and wonderful succulents and cacti. I have a few inside the house from him, I'll post on those soon. Maybe I will use him to expand the succulent collection outside. Yet it seems none of the succulents on the balcony came to exist there through the normal channels. Perhaps then I should continue that way and include only those that end up here by accident rather than design.
7 comments:
You have some really nice succulents. Your next impulse buy should be a Aeonium, they are my favorite. I had to look up the name as succulent names are almost impossible to remember. They propagate really easily too. Just snap off a leaf, put the end in a small pot and water. It will grow a whole new plant in a month or so.
A charming corner!
How do they do in the winter? Do you get below freezing? Seems like they can't take too much cold.
Dan - oooh sounds interesting, i'll check with succulent guy if she has it (or scout it in my friend's garden)
Sheila - thanks, I think so too!
Suburban Gardener - rarely hits zero degrees here in Melbourne, frost sometimes I guess but they survived just fine. Maybe they grow less, not too sure, but some have lasted two winters just fine! The wonders of succulents.
The great thing about the succelents are their foliage shapes. They have such interesting patterns that's so cool.
If you're going to track down an Aeonium, see if you can find "Zwarktop." It's black, and very striking.
Farn - black succulents - what an idea. I loved your posts on black plants. So much inspiration - goth in the garden!!!! hehehe
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