I used to be great with plants, but somehow over the years my green thumb turned brown (or “dried up” if you can’t stop giggling at a “brown thumb” reference). Somehow I manage to kill even the easiest of plants, but I’ve tried I’ve been wanting to give it another go with some succulents. I figure any plant that can live for long periods of time without being religiously cared for could be a good fit for me. Not to mention in the Overlook neighborhood it seems like every house has a veritable forest of the little guys growing out of the rockwork in front of the yard which I admire every time I walk home from work.

I decided to buy a couple at Home Depot and give them a try. The selection there is pretty good, so I snagged 4 little guys… and after 2 weeks of keeping them alive I’ve developed the idea of creating a cool little terrarium! To do this I’ll need more of these little guys… Around the same time my mom came up for a visit, and as we went for a walk in my neighborhood I showed her all my favorite succulents and lamented on my laziness to go to multliple stores to find a collection I like.. to which she asked

“Why don’t you just pinch off a piece of this one and stick it in some dirt at home?”

My mom always had an odd habit of snagging little clippings of plants every where we went while I was growing up. I was fascinated at the idea, but always so embarrassed as I kept watch while she forraged around someone’s plant for the perfect piece to snap off. She often even kept a supply of paper towels and a bottle of water to moist-wrap her items like tree branches and seedlings until she could get them planted at home. As I was flashing back to these days of embarrassment, my mom just went for it… snapped off a little piece and tossed it at me as we scurried away. “Here, just put it in your purse until we get home.”

Once we got home my embarassment faded into excitement as we stuck the little stick into some potting soil and wet it down. I was hooked. An addiction was born! For the next week I couldn’t make a trip home without having to admire someone’s beautful succulent up close, only to snatch a little piece of it… shove it shamefully into my purse and suspiciously walk off. People of Portland, lock up your succulents! Now before you scold me… I do try to be somewhat ethical about it and only take from the ones that are big, and I only take from a backside so it doesn’t make their plant look ugly!

Either way, my little franken-plants are sitting and ready for roots to form

And just for fun, here are some more shots of my succulent buffet near my house!