PUBLICATION MAGAZINE VOLUME ONE botanic | Page 29

ART OF SUCCULENTS 04 ART OF SUCCULENTS We have descended into the garden and “ caught three hundred slugs. How I love the mixture of the beautiful and the squalid in gardening. It makes it so life like Adam Kopas, owner of Santa Barbara Succulent Art , shared propagation techniques with a group of excited succulent enthusiasts. Even a few folks, who were out for a walk, took a break from their daily stride and listened in. While mixing soil for the creations we were about to make, Adam was bombarded with excellent questions by garden enthusiasts. There is no doubt the succulent craze has taken hold in the Valley. Adam proceeded to demonstrate different ways of planting succulents and provided plenty of information throughout the two-hour class. Excited, the group dove into a large collection of succulents available for planting, and began filling their containers of choice. A Buellton resident brought a beautiful china teacup and filled it with delicate succulents of choice. Others planted buckets, pots and wooden boxes with the drought tolerant beauties. Succulents do best when kept outdoors in a sunny spot. Although drought-tolerant, succulents do require water in order to thrive. The trick is to let the soil completely dry out in between regular watering cycles. Succulents really do best with less attention, but it’s sometimes difficult for a gardener accustomed to watering their plants every couple of days to wait anywhere from one to four weeks before watering their succulent,” 29