Talk To The Plants, They Are Great Listeners

Succulent, Houseplant, Crop Garden, and Mycology hobbyist. Rooted in Seattle, Washington. Environmental advocate for freshwater conservation and sustainable agriculture. #FoodAndWaterForAll

[seattlesucculents]

Annual Hellebore Appreciation Post

Every year I am amazed by the winter blooms of Hellebores, also known as Christmas Roses. With glossy, evergreen foliage and hardy flowers that love shaded areas, this plant is a must have in the garden for when there is no color in the cold and winter season.

This year I obtained the Black Diamond Hellebore (last photo, right side) for myself to go into the raised beds where it is completely shaded.

Note: Plants are toxic, including for pets, if consumed.

[seattlesucculents]

For this years annual Hellebore Appreciation post, I have added a pale white and pink hellebore into the back outdoor bed next to the Black Diamond hellebore.

These evergreen, winter blooming, and shade loving plants will always remain as one of my favorite garden growers!

[seattlesucculents]

...redact that ask Im stupid and realized you can click the gif for the source I am a dumb.

But I'm gonna watch the shit out of this now.

[seattlesucculents]

Q&A Week!

My ask box is open for all your possible plant (and other) questions!

Some of the things/themes you can ask, or have been asked in the past:

Plant care, indoor plants, outdoors plants, succulents, cacti, problems, pests, plant ID’s, food gardening, or ‘How To’s’ on food gardening/starting an edible garden plot, soils, bugs, the weather, quilting, sewing, books, stamps, any and all matters of life.

[seattlesucculents]

✨I swear I’m not dead✨

I promise. 🤞🏼 After a long hiatus, I will be back into the saddle. It was a rough past year and a half. Between covid, lockdowns, wildfires, snowstorms, windstorms, flooding, my garden not producing, my houseplants struggling, and being a essential worker, I was drained. I needed the break. It seemed Washington state was experiencing any and every crisis imaginable. 2020 till the end of 2021 was a blur.

In the time of covid chaos, I picked up a new hobby. Philately. I found my peace in collecting flower and mushroom stamps. It helped me push through the winter months when the garden and plants were not in growth mode.

I will be back up and into the content come spring! I have lots a exciting things planned out for the garden and the houseplant table this year! Thanks for all your continued support despite me dropping off the face of the earth for over a year!

[seattlesucculents]

Any fun or interesting looking (small) plants you’d recommend for direct sun?

Lithops! Lithops and more Lithops!

[seattlesucculents]

It’s Columbine season!

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Columbines and Foxgloves are my favorite flowers above all else. I love it when nurseries start to bring out their columbines in mass.

[seattlesucculents]

Q&A/Submission Saturday

Submissions and ask box are open.

Things you can ask/submit to me:

Plant care, indoor plants, outdoors plants, succulents, cacti, problems, pests, plant ID’s, food gardening, or ‘How To’s’ on food gardening/starting an edible garden plot, bugs, the weather, quilting, sewing, books, any and all matters of life.

[seattlesucculents]

We have been getting lots of questions lately as it seems everyone started or expanded their plant collections during the pandemic quarantine. So we will go ahead and kick off Submission Saturday! Starting a day early so everyone can have the time to submit their inquiries.

[noveltybyshafer]

“The Sun and The Night Sky”

Knotted sandstone bead mala.

🌞🌙📿

[seattlesucculents]

Stay warm everyone.

Don’t forget to knock snow off of your trees, shrubs, and plants.

[seattlesucculents]

Happy Snowfall, Seattle ❄️

Seeing as how some areas are being more affected than others, here are some tips for enduring snow in the garden:

Keep the snow on your cold frames (within reason). If you have a light dusting, or few inches of snow on the tops of your cold frames, this can provide your plants with some insulation. However, know the limits of your frames. If you have or are expecting heavy snowfall (Everett, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Monroe, Duvall, Woodinville, and all of Snohomish County) and have plastic coverings, brush off enough to prevent the frames from breaking under the weight.

Cover newly planted young trees and shrubs. This can help to prevent damage to branches and soft stems. Stake near the base to prevent them from uprooting in winter winds.

If you plan to salt your driveway/sidewalk/patios, be sure to use sparingly around your plants and landscaping. Salt can cause damage to root systems and foliage. Be aware of water runoff locations in your yard. Salty runoff water can pool in lower areas of yards and landscaping.

If you notice branches of trees bowing under the weight of snow, it’s always good to go out with a broom and knock the snow off to prevent branch breakage and damage.

Go play in the snow!

Feel free to rebolog this post and add more methods for protecting your garden in snowfall.

Stay warm everyone!

[seattlesucculents]

Most of Washington State and the Pacific Northwest are under a Winter Storm Warning that will start it’s impact Friday evening. Before snow makes landfall in your garden, here are some tips that were shared from the 2019 snowstorm we endured.

It is highly recommended to set up a system to protect your younger or most fragile winter plants from breakage due to snow weight. Hoop houses, frames, covers, can all be established to keep the weight of winter off the leaves and stems.

My most at risk plants will be placed under a cold frame until snowfall halts. All pots and container will be moved to a shed or garage to prevent damage from ice expansion (especially with unglazed clay and terra-cotta containers).

Please also heed the rocksalt warning listed in the reblogged post.

Stay safe, stay dry, stay warm!

[seattlesucculents]

I dont mean to sound difficult or like im disagreeing or anything i just already have two tiny succulents and want to make sure before i go buy them pots, you mean sealed as in from the bottom or all sides? My terrarium ig technically wouldnt be a terrarium since its a pryamid with one of the triangle sides being open...

Any container, terrarium, pot, tray, cup, bucket, etc that doesn’t not have drainage holes in the bottom of the vessel for water to drip out of is not a container suited for succulents and cacti as they will retain moisture, AKA “Wet Feet”, and will lead to root rot. If your container does not drain, the planting medium stays moist toward the bottom of the container. Roots cannot absorb any more water and sit in the moisture, leading to root rot. Root rot is difficult to treat and is a huge killer of succulents and cacti, right behind improper light levels.

Again, I do not recommend any container or vessel that does not have proper drainage for succulents and cacti. Every single one of my desert plant species in my collection all have containers with drainage holes.

[seattlesucculents]

Its me again, if i did rocks charcol soil and sand do you think that would provide enough drainage, it not what types of plants are good for terrariums?

Thanks for being such a good resource!

If you have a sealed terrarium, not matter what souls you put in it, it will keep moisture because there is no place for the water to drain out of. It ends up evaporating and creating a humid and moist environment, which is the opposite of the desert species ideal climate.

EDIT: Spelling. *soils. I hope you aren’t using souls as a planting medium for your plants.

Good terrarium plants that I have had success with in past projects are as follows:

Moss

Marimo (waterscaped terrariums)

Fittonias (Nerve Plants)

Polka Dot Plant

Button Fern

Maidenhair Fern (However, drama queen of the Fern species. Needs humidity at all times. Can be very picky.)

Pothos Cuttings

Spider Plant Cutting (watch how much water you give this plant)

Peperomia (watermelon variety)

Baby Tears

Club Moss (I prefer the golden variety because its a nice contrast color)

Tillandsia (Airplants)

Almost any carnivorous plant species. Venus fly traps, pitcher plants, sundews, etc. they love that “boggy” biome feel. The only downside is it the terrarium is sealed, you will have to hand feed your little carnivores.

[seattlesucculents]

I want to make a succulent terrarium but am worried about the use of both sand and soil is it okay to use both?

Succulents need containers with drainage. I personally do not recommend succulent and cacti for terrariums because they retain too much moisture, which leads to hard to treat root rot. Terrariums make excellent homes for tropical plants and moss!

EDIT: Not saying it’s impossible, it is for short term months. But. if you want to keep your plants alive and healthy, think of long term container and housing solutions for your desert species.

[seattlesucculents]

Q&A/Submission Saturday

Submissions and ask box are open.

Things you can ask/submit to me:

Plant care, indoor plants, outdoors plants, succulents, cacti, problems, pests, plant ID’s, food gardening, or ‘How To’s’ on food gardening/starting an edible garden plot, bugs, the weather, quilting, sewing, books, any and all matters of life.

[seattlesucculents]

We have been getting lots of questions lately as it seems everyone started or expanded their plant collections during the pandemic quarantine. So we will go ahead and kick off Submission Saturday! Starting a day early so everyone can have the time to submit their inquiries.

[seattlesucculents]

Annual Hellebore Appreciation Post

Every year I am amazed by the winter blooms of Hellebores, also known as Christmas Roses. With glossy, evergreen foliage and hardy flowers that love shaded areas, this plant is a must have in the garden for when there is no color in the cold and winter season.

This year I obtained the Black Diamond Hellebore (last photo, right side) for myself to go into the raised beds where it is completely shaded.

Note: Plants are toxic, including for pets, if consumed.

[seattlesucculents]

Annual Hellebore Appreciation!

Don’t forget to love your Hellebore plants! Right now they are putting off their best blooms just for you. These showstoppers are known for keeping color in the garden when everything else isn’t growing because of the cold.

Remember these pretty guys are toxic!

[noveltybyshafer]

Many new creations this past week alone. I am learning much about my craft and deeply appreciate all the people who have supported me thus far. 💙

If you wish to inquire about an item, wish to browse, or just want to check out what’s happening in the shop, you can go to

https://m.facebook.com/noveltybyshafer/

Novelty By Shafer

Novelty By Shafer, Renton, WA. 19 likes · 26 talking about this. Small scale novelty shop specializing in handmade jewelry. Operating out of

[noveltybyshafer]

Mushroom earrings available now! 🍄

Product consists of glass and nickel free metals.

DM for purchase via PayPal or Venmo.