Last year, my mom brought me hens and chicks planted in a planter she made from reclaimed wood. The hens and chicks were from my great-aunt's garden in Michigan. After she passed away in November of 2011, her family dug up the hens and chicks from her yard before selling the house. I am so, so, so thankful they did that! The hens and chicks get to stay in the family which is very special since they originated from my great-grandmother's garden in Louisville.
We used hens and chicks from her yard in our wedding. She was too ill to make it down to Nashville for our wedding, so it was very special to me to have her there in spirit. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to keep ANY of the plants from our wedding alive...so when my mom brought me this new batch, I knew it was a second chance. I decided to let them live outside. I knew they could survive Michigan winters (my cousin Mary Beth even had to wait for snow to thaw in order to dig them up for us to use in the wedding!) so I figured they could make it through mild Nashville winters. And boy, oh boy, have they!!
Just 2 months ago, I took this photo:
(Note all the weeds above--hilariously, shamrocks keep growing in my hens & chicks planter--I have potted shamrocks sitting on the porch... so the bees are doing their job which makes my job of keeping the planter weeded more difficult!)
Fast forward 2 months...NOW...they are HUGE.
Can you believe they've grown so much in just 2 months?? They live outside next to our porch in the original planter that my mom made and I let the rain take care of them for the most part, but I water them when it's especially dry and/or hot.
The are gorgeous and they mean the WORLD to me. They have such a rich history in my family and they are so special to me. Now that they're almost outgrowing the planter, should I re-plant some of them? Should they go in the ground? Or other planters? Any green thumbs out there have some advice? Oh and one note- they're not succulents - I killed the first batch by treating them like succulents, unfortunately!
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That is so sweet! I just love stories of plants that have been part of a families history. It can't be easy to take care of a plant for so long so it really shows the love, dedication and hard work of a family.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to guess that you have more than a few vintage planters laying around. I vote spread them out a bit and plant them in planters. I'm not a green thumb by any means, but I think they could get root bound before long growing that fast.
i took your advice but i just tried one cutting for now - i'm a little nervous to see how it goes so i'm starting small!
DeleteMine from my Gramp's are NOT doing well inside! This is my cue to take them OUT! Thanks for this. I love how your's are flourishing!
ReplyDeleteoh no!! i'm so sorry to hear that they're not doing well. i think succulents really love being outside! i hope that helps them!
DeleteMy neighbor just dropped off a bag of hens and chicks last night, given to her by an old Italian man! Just LOVE when people share what they have! My son is getting married, LOVE the idea of putting them in tea cups, great idea and story!
ReplyDeletea bag of hens and chicks? that's crazy and exciting! hope they thrive!
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