4th October 2021 Dr Beena
Hello guys. Today am going to write succulents. The painting by my friend Esther Ng is about succulents. Due to the pandemic, she picked up this habit of growing succulents. From just two pots, she now has 100 pots of succulents😊😊. I had no clue about succulents and did some reading.
Now succulents are plants that grow under harsh conditions like drought. They store the water in different parts of the plant. It can be in the leaves, stem or roots in water-storing tissue. Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Cacti have spines, but succulents do not bear spines. Succulents are found within each continent other than Antarctica. They are excellent houseplants needing very little care and are easy to propagate.
In her painting, you can find both succulents and cacti. Those with spikes are the cacti. Cacti, unlike succulents, have to be handled with care. I am not sure how she touches them. Maybe she would wear special gloves☹.
Somehow, this picture depicts us. During harsh times like the lockdown from the pandemic, everyone tries to get along and help each other. We do not know when and how this pandemic will end. Until such time, we all need each other. Don’t you think so? For some of us who live alone, it can be complicated if we fall sick. Even in nature, plants tend to grow together. That gives them the best chance to survive. However, with technology, we could stay connected during this lockdown. Maybe that is where the succulent part of the water-storing tissue comes into effect. We have managed to carry on with our lives despite the lockdown. Technology like Zoom, Video calls, and many other modes of communication just saved us from being isolated. Hospitals still had access to patients.
Yet, for many, it was still hard. It was like the cacti with sharp spikes. In the picture, she painted beautiful flowers on the cacti. I would interpret that the flowers depict better times. Presently, life is challenging for most of us. However, there will be a silver lining soon😊. Just like in her picture, cacti and succulents live together to survive. We need to reach out to those who face desperate times and help in whatever way we can. Just try it. The joy from helping others is addictive😊. You can’t get enough of that feeling😊.
I hope you can share with me that feeling of joy in the comments section. Till the next time, stay safe and bring joy to others😊.
4 thoughts on “Succulents and Joy”
What a lovely painting Esther. Thanks for sharing it. And Beena, thanks for the story to go with the painting :-).
One of my daughters loves succulents and she has gotten me to start growing them in our house. I have one pot with 3 different types of succulents, including one called Mother of Millions, which already has several “offspring” surrounding her on the pot. I hope that with time I will end up with as beautiful a set of succulents as Esther’s!!
Allan
Hi Allan
That is wonderful that you have now started horticulture:). It is very therapeutic. But I have to say, I didn’t have much luck as mine would eventually die:(. So I hope you will share your experience in growing these succulents. Even my cacti died:(.
Hope to hear more from you Allan.
Hi Allan,
Thank you for liking my painting. You have no idea what your daughter has gotten you into 🤩🤣. Growing succulents is just so additives and I can tell you that in no time you will have many many oh so many succulents/cacti.
I started my 2 pots through trial & errors and growing them & seeing the thrive brings so much joy in our current depressing pandemic state but I pray that the situation will pass. I learned about the how to care for my succulents through tips from friends who are like minded & through reading & even through YouTube. Hopefully I’ll come up with more succulents paintings soon.
I wish you all the success and hopefully Dr Beena will try again. It’s really therapeutic.
Cheers
Hi Esther
Thank you for encouraging me to grow succulents. Let me think about it and maybe watch youtube. In fact, I learnt a lot from youtube about painting. I hope you will continue to paint and contribute to this website.:)
Stay safe:)