Several years ago, a gardening friend introduced me to the wonders of succulent gardening; she brought me five cuttings and turned me loose without telling me what the plants were or how to care for them. Caring for them is easy. They root where I drop them and enjoy a drink of water when I get around to it.
Finding out what they are has been a different adventure. When Pam gave me these cuttings they were quite small and she had them planted in groups. One day, at a nice garden center, I noticed one of my little plants, but at the garden center it was in a pot by itself and five times the size of mine. I eagerly reached for the identifying stake, thinking that I would finally learn the name of this unique-looking plant. The stake identified it as "succulent." I knew that! Next, I asked the owner of the nursery what it was. Surely, the person who purchased it would know what he was selling. He very seriously identified it for me; "it's a succulent." Sadly, I went home.
When I arrived home, the first thing I did was to pull my "succulent" out of its grouping to a pot that would reflect its growth potential. Little "succulent" did not disappoint me and soon grew to fill its container.
The next step in my plan was to repot it into an even larger container so I could discover how large "succulent" could truly grow. Before I got around to re-potting it, "succulent" started to grow what looked like babies up through its middle. I tried pinching and rooting them but without success. While I was distracted (painting my living room) those "babies" bloomed!
Now, with a plant AND blooms I tried again to find out "succulent's" true name. It took some serious hunting on the internet but I am proud to announce that "succulent" is in the echeveria family and its common name is "Topsy Turvy." I'm not sure the name reflects the appearance of my plant but it neatly describes my adventure.
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