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Tag: succulents


desert botanical garden

21
May

blooming cactus yellow

I became a cactus fan long before succulents were ‘in.’  I made my first visit to Arizona when I was in junior high school and I instantly became mesmerized by the unusual and glorious plants called cacti.

look up cactus

cactus prickles

When I got home from my trip, I signed up for a subscription to Arizona Highways magazine so I could regularly see beautiful, artistic photographs of Arizona plants in their native habitat.

cactus landscape

burst of yellow cactus

This background of cactus love made it extra special for me to have the opportunity recently to visit the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.  I had never been.

blooming cactus

cactus arms

The garden is like a living museum, home to more than 4,400 species and 27,000 plants.

cactus yellow in progress

trio of cactus

Today, I share a few of my favorite views from my visit.

tall cactus with sun

Thanks for stopping by.

face mask sign

Have a fabulous weekend!  Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S.  Look at my last post for more from the Desert Botanical Garden.

Comments Off on desert botanical garden | field trips, garden, travel

for the love of cactus

1
February

cactus in a heart shape

A recent trip to Arizona rekindled an old love for all things cactus!  My succulent passion began when I was in junior high school and my grandparents invited me to join them on a trip to Phoenix.

Arizona cactus

From the moment I arrived in Arizona, I was totally intrigued by all the cacti adorning the landscape.  I even tried (unsuccessfully) to smuggle some specimens back to Connecticut. (At the time, this was forbidden by the Department of Agriculture.)

cacti

I think it is pretty safe to say I was the only 8th grader in Connecticut back then who subscribed to Arizona Highways magazine!  Every month I eagerly awaited the newest edition – each one filled with photos of cacti – many of the photos including gorgeous, colorful sunsets!

prickly cactus

So, maybe you can understand why my recent trip to Arizona had to include observations ‘in the wild’ of any cacti I was able to find!

cactus in Arizona

For today’s Friday field trip, I hope you have enjoyed some of my findings!

heart shaped cactus

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on for the love of cactus | field trips, travel

new life for my fern container

14
September

finished succulent rocks

I had a lovely little potted fern.  It always put a smile on my face.  I received it as a favor at a wedding shower and I always loved it.  I even tucked a little bird inside of it!

fern casualtySo, I was really disappointed when my fern died – I had enjoyed it for years!

I decided not to put another living plant inside the cute little container the fern lived in, but I did want to reuse it.  Since I’d been painting rocks recently, a rock painting came to mind right away!

For today’s Friday field trip, look at the quick and easy rock painting I made for my fern container!  (I was inspired by the succulent Easter eggs I made last year!  Click here to see them.)

painting the rocks

A very simplistic design can bring satisfying results!  I hope I have inspired you to paint some!  If you want to keep your rocks outside, be sure to spray them with clear coat to protect against the elements!

succulent rocks

Of course, if I was embracing the season, I would have painted some pumpkin rocks ;) !

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on new life for my fern container | diy, garden

egg-actly that time of year

20
February

succulent eggs in natural elements

Yes, you guessed it, I have begun dyeing eggs!  With the start of Lent and an early Easter this year, I couldn’t resist starting some egg decorating!  We had a few inches of snow this past weekend, so I prepared by stopping at the grocery store and buying a dozen white eggs.  Then, while it was snowing, I watched the British Baking Show and emptied out the inside of 12 eggs to prepare them for decorating!

egg dyeing collage

How do I empty them?  I use a needle to gently place a hole in both sides of the egg – one hole a little larger than the other.  Then, I blow into the smaller of the holes to empty the contents of the egg.  The most important part of this procedure is to puncture the yolk of the egg!  Otherwise, the inside of the egg just will not come out!  How is this accomplished?  Using a needle or any long, thin object, to push it into the larger hole several times.  Piercing the yolk is what helps the contents to flow out when you start blowing!

cactus easter egg in a basket

I am careful not to get any of the raw egg in my mouth and I wash the outside of the eggs with soapy warm water and rinse thoroughly.  I stand them back into the egg carton overnight to drain any water still left inside.  Once decorated, with no insides to go bad, the eggs will last forever!

For the maiden voyage of egg decorating, I decided to paint a few with succulents.  I know, succulents are so 2001, but I have been working on a terrarium community service project and I have succulents on the brain!  I decided to use 3 eggs.  I dyed them a taupe color using paste food coloring.  For my dye, I use ½ cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, and some food coloring.  This color will serve as the backdrop for my succulents.

stages of painting easter eggs

I added very simplistic painted designs – since I applied the designs with cottons swabs and toothpicks – with acrylic paint.  It is hard to get too detailed without a proper paint brush!   I used the same few colors on all 3 eggs to give them a continuity.  My first decorated eggs of the year are complete – a trio of succulents!

succulent on taupe easter egg

So, the egg games have begun!  I hope I have inspired you to think about your egg designs this year!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on egg-actly that time of year | diy, food & festivities, inspiration, style

november book giveaway!

31
October

november 2017 giveaway pleasure in simple things

November’s giveaway is not actually a book!  I saw this adorable succulent calendar for 2018 and, since the end of November is near the end of the year, why not substitute a calendar for a book!

A comment will earn you a chance to win this cute standing calendar – perfect for a desk or an end table!  The winner will be chosen at random at the end of November.  Good luck!

succulent calendar pleasure in simple things blog

Congratulations to Mari, winner of last month’s book selection The Misfortune of Marion Palm by Emily Culliton.  (Click here to read more about this book.)  I know you will enjoy this read Mari!

Instagram readers, please read on for this month’s challenge!

november 2017 instagram challenge
Since November is such a great time to contemplate all that we are grateful for, let’s share!  Use hashtag #pleasuregram to share photos of things you are grateful for…it can be anything from the blessing of your family to a quiet moment of solitude on a beach…

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you are having a wonderful Halloween evening!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

6 comments » | good reads, monthly book giveaway

planting succulents in a pumpkin

23
October

Succulents planted in a pumpkin

seasonal succulents

I have taken a real interest in succulents recently.   There are probably two big reasons for this.  One is that I saw a photo of a succulent garden in a huge conch shell.  I love shells, so the photo immediately caught my interest and got me excited to try and plant some succulents in shells.  Second, a new Home Depot nearby carries a huge selection of succulents.

I actually had a really early love for succulents.  The first plant I ever personally owned as a kid was a cactus plant I bought in Arizona when I visited Phoenix with my grandparents.  My first magazine subscription wasn’t Teen Beat, but rather Arizona Highways because I adored the pages filled with photos of various desert plants across the backdrop of gorgeous sunsets! Although the varieties of succulents available here in New England aren’t the same as out West, Home Depot does have quite a large selection.

I read as much as I could find on the subject of succulent container gardens and also watched some videos on the subject.  The cool thing about succulents is that they can be planted in virtually any type of container.  I decided since it is October, I would try a pumpkin as my first container garden.  Also, because I love the way white pumpkins mix with succulents.

Planting is pretty simple.  The big difference from planting any other type of plant is that succulents require a fast draining soil.  Instructions on creating an appropriate soil are easy to find, but it is actually more cost effective to just buy a prepared soil at Home Depot.

Most succulent container gardens use a top dressing – most often rocks.  I would love to use sea glass in a future garden, but for the pumpkin I decide to use some reindeer moss and also decorate with some Spanish moss.  I will probably use the sea glass idea for a terrarium when the pumpkin starts breaking down and I need to move the plants to a new container.

photo of succulents in a pumpkin

A photo of succulents planted in a white pumpkin.

Don’t they look great in the white pumpkin?  Small white pumpkins planted with succulents would look great at individual place settings at the Thanksgiving table!

I hope you enjoyed succulent gardening in a white pumpkin!

Thanks so much for visiting, Jackie  

7 comments » | garden

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