Hi, my name is Cristina and I’m a succulent hoarder. I didn’t even know what a succulent was until my first visit to the Golden State. These tiny plants instantly mesmerized me and upon further examination, I noticed occasional fractured limbs. I carefully gathered the recently orphaned pieces and raced home to resuscitate them in a glass of water. Eureka! They root and quickly, too.

It wasn’t long, before the orphanage of succulents grew expansively in my nest.  Once these amazingly resilient little plants sprouted roots, I potted them and apparently they don’t even need to root first. Simply place the broken stem into some dirt and voila, they will grow.

Succulents are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climates or soil conditions. They store water in their leaves, stems, and also in roots, making these plants extremely low maintenance. Don’t feel bad if you forget to water them, they prefer less frequent watering, in fact, let the dirt completely dry and water once a month. If you remember to water them on the first of every month, you can proudly boast about your amazing green thumb to your friends.

If you are like me and spend a lot of time outdoors with your little sprouts, have them inspect the undersides of leaves, branches of trees, and bottom of piles. Children look forward to these outdoor adventures hoping to find something of interest, an egg, a roly poly, and many times orphaned succulents. We mostly observe the creatures and follow a do-not-touch-policy, but we will take a photo and an occasional neglected succulent. Next time you see a detached succulent place it back into the dirt or adopt it, if you are feeling frisky.  Welcome it, nurture it, and its hope will illuminate your nest.