Papa's Garden

I am always looking for new hobbies, as I get bored easily.  With dad planting a summer vegetable garden, and my love of flowers, I have been contemplating getting involved with an outdoor hobby, perhaps gardening or planting.  Well, in my search for info on the stylish sponges I discussed in my last post, I stumbled upon on article on planting and keeping succulents, which I found extremely eye catching.  Let me explain...


When I was a little girl and we still lived in LA, my parents always took me to my Nonny and Papa's because when grandparents are local, what choice does one have?  I frequented swimming in the pool, blowing bubbles in the grass, and cruising through the grove with my Grandpa to admire his blossoming orchard and large cactus collection.  Over the years, my Papa had a variety of hobbies including training pigeons, building birdhouses, and grooming his cactus garden - which soon became paramount to the others.  


Throughout the course of my childhood, he had collected many succulents, ranging from pear and flower blooming cacti to aloe vera plants laden with lizards.  He had a habit of personifying his plants, giving them various accessories to accentuate their respective personalities.  The tall furry looking ones donned old bi-focals and bow ties, while the short stout one's rocked fishing hats and Raybans.  The older looking cacti wore blue blocker's like Papa, and the flowering one's were planted in vintage decorative pots on pedestals around the perimeter of the grove.  Cacti, usually considered boring to many, have always been a wonderous species in my memory bank.  Up until the day he passed away, my Papa grew his collections to eventually include HUNDREDS of succulents, including a small garden for me.


So, fast forward back to this sunny afternoon at work, when I find this random article.  Imagine my surprise to not only find another person in the online blogging community who admired succulents, but also to find this article by happenstance just before summer and the ontaking of new hobbies.  Although the garden he groomed before his passing still stands, rugged and dying in my grandparents backyard, I don't think it would be far fetched for me to start my own little mini garden of succulents not only to give myself an escape from day to day work and responsibility, but also to honor my Papa and the green thumb he passed down to me.  


With my grandfathers wisdom always in my heart and mind, and my desire to find a hobby outside during the summer months, this might be the perfect time to start my own cactus collection.


You'll Love Succulents If: You're a lazy gardener. These plants are hardy and durable. They don't require a large space to grow, so they're great for container gardens and hanging baskets. Plus, their roots are shallow so little soil or potting mix is required for planting or transplanting making them easy for children and beginning gardeners to care for.