Yesterday I made a trip to Shoal Creek Nursery in Austin, Texas. I seriously recommend walking through a nursery this spring. It’s a fun way to be outdoors at a beautiful time of the year, and if you’re obsessed with plants like I am, even better! I got a ton of inspiration for my yard and my home (gorgeous tropical selections in the greenhouse above, right?), and I even picked up a few plants. Here are some of my favorite snapshots from this impromptu field trip…
Dear Bromeliads, do you remember the time I tried to grow you in my kitchen, and it ended badly?…
Palms, why do I live in a home that’s too dim to help you thrive?
Oh succulents, the more I try to love thee, the more I inadvertently kill thee…
Since my favorite types of plants have presented me with challenges in the past, I decided to console myself with a walk around the nursery. Yes, that’s a pond with lily pads in the image below! By the way, the folks at Shoal Creek Nursery give really great advice. Like how not to kill succulents! I think I need some supervision in that area.
Who knew there was so much tropical foliage at Shoal Creek Nursery? Seriously, I’ve wandered the grounds of this establishment on numerous occasions. And somehow I never looked up until yesterday:
I ended up purchasing a few red yucca plants for a full-sun area of my backyard. I’ll share more photos when my backyard makeover is complete. This isn’t the last trip I’m making to the nursery. I refuse to give up on the succulents. Let’s just say I love a challenge…
Thanks for letting me share my latest photos. Hope your week has been a good one so far!
Sometimes I think I need some supervision too to avoid killing my plants..
Nice post!
Glad I’m not the only one! Thanks for your kind words, Algo!
I find that palms meant to be indoor plants fair pretty well on my shady patio.
I actually have the opposite problem with succulents. I tend to neglect mine, which they’re more or less fine with, until winter when I accidentally let them freeze. Oops. It gets too cold for them this far upstate.
I got really cute ones this year (pink!) and have resolved to mind them better this time around.
I’m glad to hear that palms have worked well on your shady patio. Maybe I should give them a try on my patio! Maybe neglect is the key to succulents. Perhaps I’m trying too hard? Thanks for your comment!
Yeah, out in nature, they wouldn’t be getting that much water so too much attention can be startling for them. I also use a soil specifically for cacti, meant to prevent over- and underwatering. It’s pretty dry and has a far lower saturation level than normal potting mix does so excess water drains to the bottom. And I have them in pots with drainage holes too so it doesn’t pool. With all that, I water them every day, but they only get just as much as they really need.
Thank you for the tips. Seriously–this is very helpful! I like your strategy of optimizing the conditions for the succulents, then watering them daily. Thanks again for sharing these details!