Stephanie Eva: Succulent Q&A

When Spencer and I moved apartments, I made one thing very clear; it was vital that we make adding more plants to our space a priority. I truly believe that flowers, succulents and other greenery play a major role in creating a positive living environment. In our previous apartment we only kept one large non-flowering lily plant (who we teasingly address as "Hubert") and the occasional vase of freshly cut flowers. The air was never as lively, nor as cozy, as it is in our present apartment. I credit this mainly to the addition of succulents throughout our space. Over the last few months I've been asked questions about my new plants and jotted down some notes for writing a post to answer them. I would like to thank Torey for recently asking me a question on Instagram about my succulents. It reminded me that I've been wanting to write about this for a little while now.

Currently, Spencer and I own one large non-flowering lily plant (Hubert), an aloe plant, a spikey succulent which I believe is from the Haworthia family, and the remnants of a succulent that I dropped on the floor. Im sorry I can't be any more specific than that, I'm not that great with plant names!

Spencer keeps track of Hubert's watering schedule and I "worry" about the succulents. We have two large globes that are mean to be filled with water and placed in the dirt of the plant's pot. They work, but not for much longer than a day. I water the succulents, but very rarely. In all honesty I was so surprised at how well our aloe plant is growing without being watered in a month. If you're looking for a watering timeframe, I'd estimate that on average succulents can go three weeks without needing any attention at all.

Propagating succulents is the process of making new plants from the leaves of existing plants. The answer here is yes, I have tried to propagate a succulent. Have I successfully propagated? No.

If you haven't heard this story, I'll try to summarize. One of the new succulent plants I kept on my nightstand fell victim to BB's nasty chewing habit. She hates when Spencer and I leave the apartment and goes on a chewing-spree to cope. Tissues, toothbrushes, pens and my succulent being the victims. I tried propagating a few salvageable leaves left over from the massacre, but ultimately this was unsuccessful. I ended up throwing out the whole plant. I now use the vase for some beautiful cream hydrangeas that Spencer surprised me with the other evening.

BUY YOURSELF SOME SUCCULENTS. They are the perfect plant for anyone who does not dabble in the gardening arts. They are also perfect if you want to add greenery to your home without adding the extra commitment of watering a plant each day. You could go on vacation with full confidence that your succulents will still be alive when you return. Ikea has a beautiful selection of succulents and cute planters and pots. I've found many succulents and other small house plants at my local hardware store. You can also find them in gardening centers, which I know are very popular in Europe. Pinterest is a great place to turn for any questions needing answers or for any inspiration you may need.

Air plants, which are similar to succulents although I believe air plants do not need water nor do they need to be planted in soil in order to thrive. I really want to create a hanging plant display piece and I think air plants would be the perfect choice of greenery.