Flower Fun!

Playing with flowers!
Left: Billy Buttons in an adorable flower vase.
Middle: Sarah Bernhardt Peonies, green hydrangea, and purple lilacs in a tin bucket on a cake stand.
Right: Lavender Anastasia Spider Mums in a white teapot.

Happy 420

bbn.frn.com

Today is essentially a holiday for the Cannabis plant.  Being this is a plant blog... I certainly am not going to discriminate.  Having grown up in Colorado and lived in California for 3 years, the Cannabis plant is something I have become quite familiar with.  The legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes is something I feel strongly about.  I watched my sister go through a year of treatment which was very similar to chemotherapy.  The drug left her feeling very sick - extremely nauseous, her appetite was non-exsitant,  and she experienced severe body aches.  It broke my heart to see her that way.  Her doctors prescribed her a medley of drugs to help control the adverse side effects.  They, of course introduced a whole new set of issues.  When she smoked Marijuana it alleviated nearly all of her discomfort within minutes and gave her the strong appetite she needed.  Although the legalization of medicinal marijuana has been a slow process,  the most recent map of states that are on board or are on the way is quite promising.  This is definitely something to smile about. :)

Echeveria and Mums looking out my window

Air Plant (Bryophullum Pinnatum)

My mother in law just stayed with us for a night after flying into JFK from a 2 week vacation in Hawaii... lucky girl. ;)  She shares my passion for plants and was nice enough to bring me back a cutting of an Air Plant (Bryophullum Pinnatum).   

The cutting came in a little plastic pouch attached to this label.

You can see it produces these little lantern-like flowers.

Bryophullum pinnatum is a type of succulent it is also known as Air Plant, Miracle Leaf and Resurrection Plant, mainly because it reproduces so quickly.  I just planted it 2 days ago and the cutting already sprouted a little plantlet.  In Hawaii it is actually considered "a moderate invader" because it reproduces so quickly.  I followed the instructions on the back of the label which said to fill a pot with a mixture of peat moss and perlite, both of which you can find at your local garden supply or plant store.

Fill your pot with 80% peat moss

Fill your pot with 20% perlite

Lay the leaf on top of soil mixture.  If you look closely you can see the baby plantlet.

 After laying the leaf on top of the soil be sure to drench the soil thoroughly and allow it to become fairly dry between waterings.  The instructions say to fertilize with a time released or garden fertilizer. I'm excited to see how this plant will do in NYC's climate in a pot on my windowsill.  If it does well I will be able to propagate it and make new plants just by following the steps above.  I will give an update after this guy grows a bit.  :))

Welcome...

Hi!  Welcome to Succulents and Saucepans!  My name is Taysia Scarano, I currently live in NYC in Manhattan's Upper West Side.  I was raised in the beautiful state of Colorado in a small mountain town called Evergreen.  Surrounded by vast forests of Conifer trees and blue skies that stretch on forever,  I developed an intimate connection to nature at an early age.  NYC may have a lot of attributes but nature and wide open spaces are not among them.  In an effort to remain true to my roots and at the same time maintain my sanity, I fill my home with a myriad of plants and flowers.  Thirty seven plants line our wall of windows, each strategically placed in an effort to soak up every ray of sunlight from our limited Northern exposure.  My husband calls me a plant hoarder; but in my mind, as long as they are healthy and well taken care of,  the more the merrier.  I plan to use this blog to document my journey as a passionate plant owner and to share all that I learn along the way.  In addition,  I love spending time in the kitchen so there will be some edible goodness here as well.  These are a few of my favorite things...

Peonies:  Best. Flower. Ever!

Baby Succulent Gardens: my favorite art project

Best Earl Gray Tea:  Thé des Lords

Leo:  My 3 and half year old Pit mix

Taste Nirvana Coconut Water:  I want this stuff on tap!

(voguechanel.tumblr.com) (greenwaredesign.com) (www.kathyylchan.com)

(coconutwaterlife.com)