Bouquet of Succulent "Roses"

A couple of weekends ago I saved an overgrown, straggling looking rosette succulent. This plant is very easy to take care of and its year round beauty is priceless to have in an apartment garden so I knew I had to find some way to re-use this plant in my landscape. I wish I had taken a photo of this massive succulent before I trimmed it down so you could see the "before" and "after" pictures, but I guess I was just too anxious to get started.

I was really attracted to the huge, rosette blooms and thought they would make a gorgeous bouquet. I chose standard terra cotta pots because I noticed how the terra cotta really complemented the red on the rim of the "petals." I took a sharp knife and carefully took 6" to 8" cuttings from the rosette plant. Each cutting had a single rosette on a 6" to 8" stem. By the time I trimmed down this plant, I had enough cuttings to make two very full bouquets and some extra to work in between the rocks surrounding the pond.

I filled the pots 3/4 the way with regular garden soil. Then I started to insert the stems into the soil (working from the perimeter to the center) to resemble a rose bouquet. I used a small garden spatula to work in some extra soil in between the stems. Then I watered the plants well. I only water the plants again when the top of the soil is dry. If you keep the soil too wet, you can cause the stem to rot.

I have successfully propagated this plant using this method, but if you wish to take the safer route, allow a "scab" to develop over the end of the stem by allowing the cutting to dry out a bit, then dip the cutting in some Rooting Hormone before planting them in the dirt.

Lina Returns

I’m back!  I’m no longer living in an apartment.  I’ve moved into a house with a nice size yard.  I’m excited to work in my new playground!  I still love efficiency and optimizing space so although I have more space to play around with, many of the projects I take on will probably be suitable for an apartment garden.    

Black-Eyed Susan

Black Eyed Susans are wonderful flowers to have in your apartment garden. I love having fresh floral arrangements inside my apartment, and black eyed susans serve as an excellent source of cutting flowers. The plant produces what seems like an everlasting supply of cutting flowers, and the flowers last long in a vase.


Black eyed susans have yellow petals, a dark dome-like center, and long stems. This plant is a perennial, which means it will come back year after year. Because the plant can be propagated by dividing the rhizomes, I do not bother collecting the seeds. In fact, I do not allow the flowers to go to seed because I want the longest blooming period possible. To prolong the blooming period, take regular flower cuttings or dead head spent flowers.

These flowers do well in full sun, but can survive in light shade. Once these plants are established, they are fairly drought-tolerant. I started these plants from seeds earlier this year. I currently grow these flowers outside in full sun in an unsealed terracotta container. They have been able to easily withstand California's dry, hot weather even when I have neglected to water them for a few days. I plan on dividing the rhizomes later this fall.




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