- Author: Sophie Loeb
Water-Wise Artworks
As a new Master Gardener, Cynthia Nations (class of 2015) has certainly jumped into the organization with both feet. She was elected Secretary last fall, and this year is the Succulent Grower for the Spring Garden Market. “Last year I was directing traffic!” she chuckles.
A powerhouse with a background in education and a passion for sustainable gardens and drought-tolerant plants, she has single-handedly propagated almost all of the succulents that will be on sale for this year's Spring Garden Market. In the past, Master Gardeners have sold individual plants, but this year a variety of arrangements will be available, both in pots and bell cups on sticks. Nations says, “I went to Ace Hardware and matched the paint on the pots for the bell cups.” She hand-painted them with fellow Master Gardener Jill Smith to make true works of art.
Succulents typically take 4-6 weeks to take root, so Nations started planning well over two months ago. “I went to people's yards!” she laughs, including Master Gardeners Patty Hontalas, Ann Gazzano, and Judith Dean (not to mention her own). The smaller arrangements are in 4-5” pots, with larger ones in 7” pots.
For those who are unfamiliar with succulents, she recommends indirect sunlight for the best growing conditions and “water very infrequently—mainly succulents die because people overwater them!” If you live in a foggier climate like Nations, who has made her home and drought-tolerant garden in Half Moon Bay, you may only need to mist them. “I'm from Texas,” she says, “so this growing climate is like a little heaven… I don't even have a drip system!” she confides.
While one of the few non-edible items for sale at the Market, these water-wise arrangements will add a bit of greenery to even the driest spots!
—Arwen Griffith, MG 2015
For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/MGPlantSales