succulents Archives - Keeping With The Times

Popular Succulents: Guest Post by FTD

September 15, 2017 by Barb 2 Comments

Hello everyone, today I have a something a little different for you—a guest post about popular indoor and outdoor succulents.

I rarely (if never!) accept guest posts, but when *Alexandria from FTD contacted me and asked if I’d care to share her article about succulents … well, I was intrigued.

But first, let me disclose this is not a sponsored post. I just found her article so interesting and informative I wanted to share it with you. I had to share it because I hadn’t really thought about whether a particular succulent might do better indoors rather than outdoors.

And after reading her article, I immediately brought my jade plants back inside. It’s almost time anyway … the nights are getting extremely chilly and although I keep my jades in a protected area under an overhang, I’m starting to worry about frost. I will tell you that they do seem to bulk up during the summer when they’re outdoors and getting stronger sunlight, but I may rethink this approach. I’m always willing to try something new ;)

To check out her article and great advice, click on either image or go to 20 Popular Types of Succulents

*Alexandria enjoys writing on a variety of topics including floral design and wedding inspirations for FTD Fresh. When she’s not writing, she can be found at the beach or hiking.

April Roundup on Instagram

May 2, 2017 by Barb 2 Comments

Time for my April roundup and a little food for thought.

April was a crazy month with us travelling between Alberta and Arizona, but despite ALL the distractions I managed to keep taking photos.

What is driving me? I just don’t know. No wait … if I’m going to be honest with you, it’s Instagram.

It seems I spend my life arranging still life images and sharing them online, and I’m starting to question my motives. What else might I be doing … blogging perhaps? Sharing more meaningful content?

But for now, these tiny squares give me a sense of time and place … as in … oh yes, I remember … we were in Arizona and I had these lovely little succulents that I ended up taking apart and photographing before leaving for Alberta. Oh, and there’s that poor little rose, ravaged by cutter bees. And there’s that book Succulents: The Ultimate Guide by Robin Stockwell that I found at Barnes and Noble (one of my favourite places on earth.)

I guess there is a story in here somewhere. But I have other stories as well, which I want to share/record, which is why I keep showing up on my blog.

I hereby vow to post about our most recent day trips in the Phoenix area, because I have tons ‘o pics and they haven’t seen the light of day :)

Keep on blogging my friends, you won’t regret it.

Five Things Friday | April 28

April 28, 2017 by Barb 2 Comments

Welcome to Five Things Friday where I share what I’m reading, watching, eating, making, or just plain loving at the moment.

Ah, the weeks do fly by don’t they? I was hoping to post to my blog more this week but it didn’t happen. Instead I binged on soap operas, sat down at the lake watching the world come alive, and went to bed early most nights. It must have been just what I needed, as this morning I’m feeling more energized and organized than I have in weeks.

I made a sweet little succulent wreath before we left Arizona. I had a couple pots with lots of little plants and it was “off with their heads” so I could play. I have to tell you that it was a LOT of fun! Never would I have chopped up my succulents unless I knew I was going to have to leave them behind and that they would die anyway. Liberating!It’s been a cold, snowy April in Alberta this year and I was hoping to pick a few more pussy willows for a wreath. However, for some reason I was drawn to the ones that were already popping …Apparently we’ve had more snow this April than we’ve had in 80 years! Don’t quote me, but I heard it on the news so it must be true ;)

And then there were the geese …

Geese Landing on Lake from Barb Brookbank on Vimeo.

OK, so let’s get on with it shall we?

Five Things Friday | April 28

What I’m Watching

The Young and the Restless (sorry ;)

What I’m Listening To

I’ve been listening to a few podcasts by Sara Tasker at Me & Orla. I really enjoyed her interview with Xanthe Berkeley about The Power of Personal Projects. Quite inspiring really.

Best Spam Comment of the Week from 79Melodee

What i don’t understood is in truth how you’re now not actually a lot more neatly-appreciated than you might be now.
You are very intelligent. You realize thus significantly with regards to this subject, produced me personally imagine it from
so many numerous angles. Its like women and men don’t seem
to be involved until it’s one thing to accomplish with Woman gaga!
Your personal stuffs outstanding. Always deal
with it up!

OK, thank you for acknowledging my intelligence 79 Melodie and I’m happy you think I should be more neatly appreciated ;)

What I Discovered

I discovered that I need to take more control of my blog! Since I had someone update my theme about a year ago, I literally let go of the reins and became very afraid to tweak anything. For an entire year my WordPress Gallery did not work and I figured it was because of the new theme.

Hmmm … turns out all I had to do was go and reinstall the plugin. Talk about an “aha” moment … and a bit of a “what a dummy head smack moment” as well.

You can see how a gallery works, and how it can benefit your blog, at the end of this post.

My Gratitude Journal

SO grateful to be home sweet home
Our lake levels are up this year due to all the snow we’ve had
Becoming the boss of my blog once again
It’s time to get back to playing at my lovely potting benches
Bits of green poking up here and there (mostly daylilies)
I do believe the sun is poking out even as I type this
The Phantom of the Opera is coming to Edmonton! I’ve only seen it four times already … but, you can never see the Phantom too many times :)

So that’s it for Five Things Friday Folks! Have a lovely weekend.

If you liked this post, you might also like these:

: Create a Project Gallery Part I

: How to Double Pageviews in 30 Days

: Showing Up

: Tips For Working When Away

: 7 Ideas for Kickstarting a Blog Post

5 Great Ideas for Succulent Containers

February 19, 2017 by Barb 21 Comments

Today I have 5 great ideas for succulent containers.

Seriously, I’m addicted to succulents (in case you hadn’t noticed!) and when I was in Arizona I purchased a few tiny specimens to play with. I’d rather have succulents than roses (although I did have roses too ;)

I love the textures, the shapes, the colours, and the fact that they look beautiful in pots ranging from concrete, to clay, to glass … happy little sigh.

I found several of these containers at garage sales. Note the tiny little G. Wolff & Co pot. It’s such a treasure, and was a steal at .25 cents! I’ve since done a little research on that pot and found the maker. You can check him out here. Unfortunately this little gem may end up costing me, because I won’t be able to hold back if I ever run across any more (I think I’m in love ;)As I mentioned, succulents look good in just about any pot and I especially love them in glass containers filled with rocks or pebbles.

I simply placed a few rocks and a little soil in the bottom of the glass container, set the tiny succulent in and filled the sides with pebbles. It will need repotting sooner rather than later, but it works for quite a while. Just be sure to not over water it because there is no drainage. Drainage is key people! (See my link at the bottom of this post.)

For the larger concrete pots, I like to put the succulents in a plastic liner first.

Here I recycled a food container. I punched holes in the bottom with scissors, placed rocks on the bottom, added a bit of soil, inserted the succulents and filled the sides with soil.

After a good watering and draining, I put it in the pot.

5 Great Ideas for Succulent Containers

Concrete pots. I used a liner, but if the concrete has holes for drainage, you don’t need to.
Rock-filled glass containers. You can find tons of glass containers at garages sales and thrift stores.
An old toolbox
Cake pans, muffin tins
A ladle … basically any kind of junk!

For even more container ideas, and if you’d like more information on caring for succulents and to find out my “dirty” little secret, check my post Tips for Overwintering Succulents Indoors

Keeping the Home Fires Burning … Barely

November 23, 2016 by Barb 2 Comments

It was another foggy grey day around here, so I’m sharing one last image of my teeny tiny succulents (from Arizona) and then I promise to move on!

I have to admit I’m barely hanging on here for #NaBloPoMo. It’s not that I’m not working on projects … that’s the problem … I’m working on projects, and the day is over in a blink. Then at 8:00 pm I realize I need to get a post up, but I’m done … so done, and well here I am with nothing to say for myself :(

Tomorrow I’m heading to the Indie Handmade Fall Craft Show at the Enjoy Centre (a greenhouse) woot! what better way to get on with the season!

Maybe I’ll even have something to report when I get home … let’s hope so!

Tips for Overwintering Succulents Indoors

November 2, 2016 by Barb 4 Comments

Today I have a few tips for overwintering succulents indoors. I’m not an expert here, it’s just that me and succulents? well we get along!

When people tell me they can’t grow succulents, and ask how I keep them alive, I’m like… well how do you kill them?

;)

I’ve had this jade plant for at least 6 years. It lives outside from early spring to late autumn when I have to bring it in. It’s been beaten by summer sun, hailed on, and endured several light frosts. I have to admit it’s becoming too big to handle, and I’m contemplating what to do with it.

Everyone who sees this giant says it looks like a bonsai tree, and perhaps I could trim it and encourage it to take on more of that form. Well, I’m thinking that may be fun and I might give it a go (a secret tip to follow.)

And then there’s this strange fellow (in a spittoon no less:) I believe a quirky plant deserves a quirky container, don’t you?

Near the end of season, a lot of succulents will put out shoots with flowers on top. Here are two lovelies, one in a thrift-store pottery find, and one in a beaten up rusty enamel cup. I adore enamel, especially the blue.

I was carrying a bit too many items, and unfortunately my lovely set of four teeny tiny terra cotta pots is now three. Argh. But as luck would have it, I recently found two other utterly gorgeous terra cotta pots that might help ease the pain.

OK! lets get to the tips for overwintering succulents, shall we?

Tips for Overwintering Succulents Indoors

Loosen up! Not the plant … you. Take a “we’ll see what happens” approach. If it doesn’t work, so what? Toss the dang thing! (this was the secret tip ;)
But yes, when digging a succulent out of the garden or a large outdoor arrangement, loosen the soil around it completely with a trowel. Succulents do not have a deep root system and are quite easily lifted.
Lift it out of the soil and inspect the root ball. How big is it? With that in mind, gently lower it back into the ground/container and go find a pot to put it in. It should be large enough to hold the root ball plus 1/2 inch of drainage material such as rocks or broken clay pots (see my last photo :( and on top of that, several inches of soil. It should also have holes in the bottom.
You can purchase special potting soil for cacti and succulents and I’m sure it works perfectly and is probably what you should use. But I use what I have on hand; which is any kind of potting mix I’ve picked up during the summer, or dug out from our compost pile, or stolen from dumped pots!! eek. yes. I did say that. ahem.
The key thing is good drainage. I can’t say that enough. Your pot has to have holes in the bottom and it has to have good drainage.
Choose your pot, and then:
- Place rocks or broken clay pieces in the bottom.
- Add enough soil so that when you put the succulent in the pot, the top of the root ball sits about 3/4″ from the top of the pot.
- Carefully lift the succulent out of the ground being careful to not touch it’s leaves and set it in the pot.
- Fill in the sides with soil, gently packing it in until the plant sits firmly upright.
- Pour water over the whole shebang, giving it a really good drink and a good bath at the same time. Set it somewhere safe to drain and dry off.
Bring it indoors and set it in the sunniest window you have. Water when it feels dry to the touch, but there’s a fine line; I never let mine dry out completely, giving it a good drink and then making sure the excess has drained away.

I should mention that if your succulent has one of those shoots with a bloom forming, you must watch it closely. Sooner or later, teensy tiny black bugs will appear on the buds. I immediately take it out to the garage and shoot it with Raid. I’m not one to play nice with these bugs. After a day or two, spray the dead bugs away with a sprayer filled with water and keep your eye on it in case there are more.

So there you go! Just have fun and enjoy your quirky friend. If it doesn’t make it through the winter, so what … you’ve enjoyed it as long as possible.

PIN IT

.
.
.
#NaBloPoMo

Late Summer Arrangements Idea #1

August 26, 2016 by Barb 18 Comments

Because my floral choices are seemingly becoming quite sparse, I challenged myself to create six late summer arrangements just to prove there is still a ton of beautiful flowers and foliage out there; both in my garden, and in nature.

I came up with this idea after seeing it on The BLOG at Terrain. Oh I adore this blog … did you know they’re a part of Anthropologie? So inspiring!!

The first of my late summer arrangements is The Succulent/Sedum Sensation ;)

I raided my garden and flower pots for this one …

I snipped off the top of a succulent that had gone extremely leggy and weird (the one that looks like a rose.)

It was dangling on a shoot about 7 inches from the pot … so quirky. I thought why not since I will enjoy it more indoors in a bouquet, where it looks gorgeous (not weird), and it will last for weeks! truly!

The purply flowery plant is a sedum just beginning to bloom. I will tell you right now, I’ll always have sedum either in my garden, or in pots … it gives and gives and always looks beautiful (plus it’s a late summer to autumn bloomer.)

I added a couple Heuchera (Coral Bell) leaves since I adore their dark dramatic frilly leaves. Note to self: always have Heuchera in garden.

A prickly branch in the top left, and another dangly succulent in the bottom right creates a diagonal line through the arrangement.

Then I thought … hmmm … what else could I do with this? What if I didn’t have a large succulent rosette …

Well, I could insert a sweet begonia, or even a rose (if I had one.) I also added a couple lovely Dracaena spikes from one of my pots.

To make this arrangement I chose a wabi sabi terra cotta pot and put a mason jar filled with water inside. I covered the top of the mason jar with chicken wire to help hold the stems securely. Tip: most succulents don’t even need to be in water! Some of the little ones you see are simply sitting freely on top.

This would make a wonderful autumn centrepiece for Thanksgiving!

Late Summer Arrangements Idea #2 Beautiful Bouquet Garni

Late Summer Arrangements Idea #3: Heavenly Hydrangea

Trader Joe’s Flowers Deconstructed

May 5, 2016 by Barb 13 Comments

Trader Joe’s flowers are so gorgeous, and I’m drawn to them like bees to honey … or flowers ;)

I can always find something seasonal, and a bit unique, and when I saw a bunch with a succulent on top, whoa, better than a rose I say!

I can’t remember what exactly was in the little Trader Joe’s bunch I purchased (sorry), but it kinda went like this …… so in the actual bunch there was:

1 succulent tip (stabbed onto a skewer and then hot glued … I think)
4 off-white stock (since they are bulky, I only used two)
2 soldago (solidago)
2 bunches spray roses

and each stem was approximately 20 inches in length. And all for $12.99.

How to Prepare and Arrange your Trader Joe’s Flowers

When you get your flowers home, remove from wrapper, recut about an inch off all stems, and place in a fresh bucket of water. Let them sit and fluff up for a half hour or so.
Choose a vase and fill with cold water, mixing in the flower food that usually comes with the flowers.
Cut stems on the diagonal with a sharp knife to the length that you want your final bouquet to be. Remove all foliage that would be under water. Also remove excess or damaged foliage near the top. This lets the flowers shine and take centre stage.

For my mini bouquet, since my bud vase is 6 inches in height, I cut my flowers in varying heights:

Soldago: 11 inches
Succulent: 10 inches (be careful not to touch the succulent leaves as it will damage what is called the “bloom” and leave unsightly scuff marks)
Stock: 9 inches
Spray roses: 6-7 inches

Insert soldago on opposite sides of the vase.

Add two stock on opposite sides, fill in with spray roses and add succulent last … ta da! Easy peasy.

PS … this is not a sponsored post … would that it was ;)

Oh, but have you seen my Mingle Magazine giveaway? Contest ends May 8th.

PIN IT

Sharing with:

The Inspiration Gallery at Craftberry Bush

Succulent Parade and a Lightroom Tip

November 3, 2015 by Barb 7 Comments

I’m not ready to say goodbye to the succulent parade …

Succulent Parade, Barb Brookbank, Keeping With the Times

kk_Lilly

I guess I’ll have to spend the winter editing photos and playing with Kim’s presets …

Succulent Parade, Keeping With the Times, Barb Brookbank, #nablopomo

kk_Lilly

kk_Hazed

kk_Organic

Do you use Lightroom? Have you ever spent a ton of time getting a photo just right (which is great) but then deciding you want to adjust exposure, or contrast,or try a different preset?

Lightroom Tip of the Day:

In the Library Module, with the original image selected, right-click and choose Create Virtual Copy.
Work on the virtual copy.
Now you still have the original to go back to.
You’re welcome!

Day 3 #nablopomo

kk_DarkMood

Foraging for Fun

October 19, 2015 by Barb 5 Comments

I spent this past Sunday morning outdoors, foraging for relaxation and a few photos to work with for The Studio | Online prompt. Foraging is good for the heart, mind, and soul wouldn’t you agree? I’m so lucky that I can walk out the door and into a natural reserve where there is no shortage of inspiration. I need it like I need air to breath.

It goes without saying I’m smitten with succulents, leaves, and rustic wooden backgrounds. And there’s nothing I love more than a quirky succulent … there’s just something so fun about them. I watch as they sprout up and spray outward, reaching for the sun (and probably more space.) I rescued these two from my Upcycled Toolbox Planter which had become extremely crowded over the summer.

I’m also a lover of repetition … leaves, leaves, and more leaves …

Foraging for Fun, Barb Brookbank, Keeping With the Times

kk_SoftLightMoreLeft

… so perfectly imperfect … I was shooting outdoors so I didn’t use studio lighting as did Kim in her lesson, instead I used kk_SoftLightMoreLeft to slightly enhance the natural light coming from the left …

kk_SoftLightMoreLeft

That pot of succulents on the top shelf is so funny; it’s been struggling all summer and I love it to pieces!

Succulents on Sunday

October 4, 2015 by Barb 8 Comments

Now that it’s October, the time has come for a bit (a lot) of garden cleanup, but as I was dumping flower pots and and digging up plants and bulbs, I had to stop and well you know, play with a few succulents …

(before I go any further, Sunday Sundries will be posted later today) …

After bringing in all the plants I wanted to save, I looked around my yard and saw chaos, so this is my attempt to tame it … I’d like to use that hammer and shout “order in the garden!” and some magical force would clean it up …
I’ve had a lot of response to my Blogging Bits and Bytes and I’m so grateful! Thank you to all of you who are participating. It’s very encouraging and my head is spinning with ideas … . See you later for Sunday Sundries!

Today I’m participating in Mosaic Monday at Lavender Cottage where Judith talks about her reasons for naming her blog, and her reasons for continuing blogging when sometimes it seems pointless. Her story is very interesting and I can relate to a lot of it. How do we stay inspired? How do we keep up? Pop over for a thought-provoking read. And thank you to all who have revealed their own personal stories as a result of this prompt from Blogging Bits and Bytes.

Succulent Celebration

August 21, 2015 by Barb 6 Comments

All summer it’s been a succulent celebration around here … and now I’m potting up the babies …… into muffin pans …… clay pots …
… and cake pans …
… but sometimes it all just wants to fall apart …
All these new babies already had roots, so I simply pulled them off the main plant and stuck them right into the soil. I don’t know how they’ll do … but I’m guessing they’re going to flourish!

Last year I found some cute little ceramic pumpkins at Home Sense and I thought they would make great plant pots. They look great in a simple display, but also fit nicely with a Thanksgiving tablescape. I think its time to dig those out of storage.

For more beautiful images and information on succulents, check out My Succulent Obsession on Pinterest

Upcycled Toolbox Planter

June 11, 2015 by Barb 12 Comments

About two years ago I purchased a rusty old toolbox for $5.00 at a garage sale, thinking I would use it as an upcycled toolbox planter. I felt a little sheepish when I got home (especially when the hubs told me he thought it should have been free … haha … I thought so too.) But at the time I had a plan … a plan that did not materialize for two years … in fact, this spring the toolbox almost went to the dump because I couldn’t figure out how to fit any plants into the shallow trays.

But, miracle of miracles, something happened to stop me in my tracks!

I was at the garden centre at Home Depot when I spied a sedum mat … I’d never seen such a thing and was quite intrigued … it hit me right away how perfect it would be for the old toolbox …

I basically cut off chunks and stuffed them into the partitions … and quite unceremoniously too …

So my junky toolbox …

was saved from the dump!

… at least for another year.

An Upcyled Link Party at Funky Junk Interiors

Featured at Rodale’s Organic Life

Pretty funky …

Sunday Sundries

February 28, 2015 by Barb 12 Comments

Welcome to Sunday Sundries!

I’ve been watching one of my succulents since early February as it began to send out a flower stalk. This week it started blooming, and surely that is something to celebrate wouldn’t you say?

Of course it speaks to me of spring, but I won’t be putting any plants out until May … the middle of May … OK, maybe late May. But, not to worry, I brought my wooden side table in from the deck, set it by the window in the kitchen/dining room and filled it with plants. The sun was pouring in and it was a beautiful sight.

Photo edit with kk_warmyhaze:

So what else am I celebrating?

The memory of a good friend and neighbour. A gentle, honest, soul. Loved and respected by all who had the privilege of knowing her.
Receiving a gift in the mail from an online friend. Such a wonderful and inspiring surprise.
Getting lots more hours of daylight (I’ll be celebrating that for a few more weeks).

Photo edit with kk_dreamlike:

Vintage Window (Pains)

February 19, 2015 by Barb 26 Comments

I adore vintage windows but when it comes to photographing them in vignettes, I end up having window (pains) … pains in the form of reflections.

But yesterday, as I was teetering on a step stool and cursing the light from the windows behind me, I had an “aha” moment … or was it a “duh ha” moment? No matter, I suddenly thought, why don’t I just throw some cheesecloth over it? I adore cheesecloth, and I especially adore the rag-tag torn look it gets after I’ve fussed with it for an hour or so, pulling it this way and that, getting it caught in the pokey succulents and stretching it across the sharp edge of the frame. But in the end, it was mission accomplished: no more reflections!

Oh, and that window … oh my … this is my Friday Find … swooning here. There were two identical windows at my local junque shop, and I almost walked out with both. Luckily I got hold of my senses and decided one was enough. However, If I’d had anywhere to hang them on a wall together, this story would have ended differently. As it was, only one of them found its way home with me and is now occupying a prime spot on my mantle.

I processed the following two photos in LR with kk_gentle:

The light coming in the south window in the morning is nothing short of scrumptious! I seem to be finding light everywhere these days; we now have 10 hours and 8 minutes of daylight! Woot! more time to play!

I found the tulips at Costco (very affordable) and I plan to have tulips from now until at least the middle of March.

kk_melancholy:

kk_breeze:

A Perfect Match!

October 2, 2014 by Barb 11 Comments

I was re-potting succulents (as I’ve mentioned about a million times), and when I plopped this particular plant into this particular pot … I immediately saw that it was a perfect match!

I’m taking the Start to Finish class and these images are a result of Kims prompts, tips, and techniques.

My setup was a bit wonky because I wanted bright light on the plant, but not on the dark background, so I set the foam core quite a distance from the plant, and pulled the blinds to block the sun on it only. That meant turning the wooden bench sideways, which meant moving the kitchen table, several chairs, and plants and other props … really quite a mess …

A Perfect Match

I used the grey waffle tea towel, not only because of the colour, but because I felt the simple, straight, and flat lines also added just the right touch.

These two images were taken when the sun was just a bit more harsh, and yet I like the effect. It seems to complement the hard edges of the plant and the pot.

still life with succulent

Thanks so much for dropping by today!

Potting Bench Adventures

September 30, 2014 by Barb 17 Comments

From the potting bench this morning, I bring you my crabapples, clay pots, succulents, pumpkins, and mums, with a sprinkling of autumn leaves! #iseehearts

from the potting bench, texture tuesday, keeping with the times dot com

from the potting bench_3

from the potting bench_2

from the potting bench

Yesterday we had a “Be Still Connect”. I always look forward to them and inevitably come away with fresh new ideas.

One thing that struck me was how overwhelmed a lot of us feel with all our commitments. Everyone agreed that we should cut ourselves some slack, and then try to whittle away some of the stuff that isn’t working for us anymore.

I made a list and found one thing I could finally let go … it was a hard decision and has taken me over a year to finally get to this point. We resist change, but it’s happening to us every single day.

Our interests, goals, passions … they change … just like the seasons. I first needed to accept that, and now I can let go. I’m off to send that e-mail …

Have a happy Tuesday!

kk_within LR preset with adjustments

Texture Tuesday at Kim Klassen dot com

Succulent Propagation

September 28, 2014 by Barb 4 Comments

Succulent propagation is so easy to do! Snip off a few shoots and sprouts, let the ends dry for a couple days, then place them on top of some damp soil.

You really don’t have to hang them, but I happened to have an old rake head that seemed to me to be the perfect tool, and it looks cute too. For some reason I love old, rusty tools. Rakes, hammers, spades …

Succulent propagation is so easy to do! Snip off a few shoots and sprouts, let the ends dry for a couple days, then place them on top of some damp soil.

You can see there are already a few roots which had formed even before I snipped them from the main plant. Oh, and make sure to keep them out of direct sunlight.

Succulent propagation is so easy to do! Snip off a few shoots and sprouts, let the ends dry for a couple days, then place them on top of some damp soil.

Succulent propagation is so easy to do! Snip off a few shoots and sprouts, let the ends dry for a couple days, then place them on top of some damp soil. The next step is to place them on damp soil, and I’ll keep you updated on their progress.

Will they root or rot?

Succulent Garden

September 11, 2014 by Barb

This summer, my succulent garden was so beautiful! The problem is, how am I going to save parts of it? In photos only? I think not! I have to start formulating plan.

Do I bring the container into the house, or do I try to propagate instead? Some will be easier than others. I’d really hate to chop this little beauty into pieces.

succulent garden

This one either …

succulent garden

I could probably root some stems of this one since most have tiny root hairs showing already.

Succulent

Propagating is really quite easy. I found a great page on Pinterest on exactly this subject. These plants want to multiply, there is no doubt about it!

Succulent

I’m definitely going to be saving this gorgeous rosette.

Succulent

I love the colour of this one and the sharp bright tips. I don’t know the names of most but once I start propagating, I’m going to try to identify them.

Succulent

Succulent I watched this cute little pot all summer … you can check out the post here.

succulent

We had a hard frost last night but I was prepared. I either brought in the house, or covered, all the plants that I want to save and I’m very glad that I did since the coverings are all white and crispy this morning. Today I must get busy and start my plan of attack.

I found a real treasure this week but I couldn’t get a post together in time. I want to do it right so it will have to wait.

I’m going to be sending out weekly newsletters and if you are interested check out this post here. The signup box is on the sidebar … I’d love to have you join me!

Have a wonderful Friday and thank you for stopping by!

Ladle up Some Succulents!

May 16, 2014 by Barb 21 Comments

Yesterday I spent the day potting up all the flowers and plants I had so recklessly purchased, knowing full well that frost is lurking at every corner until June 1st.

But we had sunshine, warm temps, tinges of green in the trees, it was spring at last! I was supposed to be grocery shopping but those people are smart … setting up little greenhouses right in front of the store … .

As I scooped up pot after pot I could hear the little voice in my head telling me to go ahead! buy it! buy it all! just be prepared to cart it all indoors every night for the next two weeks …

Well, it’s not like I haven’t done it before and this weekend is our May long weekend here in Canada. We have company coming and I want it to be summery! So I did go ahead and do it.

Here’s a cute little Echeveria Shaviana potted up into a rustic old ladle that I found at my local Junque Store.

ladle succulent pot, keeping with the times

So fun!

ladle succulent pot, keeping with the times

My potting bench. This is my space. This is where I go to play.

Ladle up some succulents

Love.

ladle succulent pot, keeping with the times

Some of our family is coming to spend the weekend with us. I feel a bonfire and s’mores in our future!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

The Signs are Everywhere – Friday Finds

May 9, 2014 by Barb 28 Comments

Spring is here as evidenced by my newly potted baby succulents #fromthepottingbench! Don’t you just love what a simple glass container and rocks can do?

spring, friday finds, keeping with the times

I love this so much, I think I’m going to make a larger version.

spring, friday finds, keeping with the times

It’s about thyme, wouldn’t you say? My garden is stirring…

spring, friday finds, keeping with the times

Pink tips of a purple globe onion (allium).

spring, friday finds, keeping with the times

The promise of peonies to come.

spring, friday finds, keeping with the times

Sweet spring light.

_DSC8868-copy

The pussy willows are bursting at the seams.

_DSC8874-copy

Something needs to be straightened out and painted (arghhh)…

spring, friday finds, keeping with the times

I found the inspiration of spring everywhere.

moss-copy

Texture Tuesday: From Above

March 11, 2014 by Barb 26 Comments

Today the theme for TT is “From Above”. This has to be one of my favourite types of photography. Kim first introduced it in one of her classes (I can’t remember which one), but I fell in love with it immediately. It tells a story like no other type of photo can, and she sent me in a whole new direction, full of ideas and possibilities.

For this image I used one pot of the succulents I’ve been wintering, along with some pebbles, garden shears, and a photo that I took last spring (of the potting bench). You see, there is a story here … but this is not the potting bench, it’s simply a small bench I keep indoors for a prop.

Texture-Tuesday-From-Above

So many possibilities … I have a hashtag on Instragram called #fromthepottingbench where most of the photos are from above. I even wrote a tutorial for Digital Scrapper called “Art From Above” where I explain how to set up a photo, and then draw inspiration from it to create a layout.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and have a Happy Tuesday!

Texture Tuesday at Kim Klassen dot com

kk_0603