Fishhooks Plant is its common name; its botanical name is Senecio radicans. It belongs to a huge plant family (the daisy family) and there are about 100 succulent-type plants in the genus. The Fishhooks Plant has the thick fleshy leaves typical of all succulents as the plants are characterized by their ability to store water in their foliage. For this reason, succulents are usually easy care, being extremely drought and heat tolerant, not fussy about soil type and are happy as long as they are exposed to bright light. Most succulents will do well in front of a south- or west-facing window, but that might be too much light in the summer when the stronger rays of the sun could burn their foliage.

Most Senecio plants are trailing ones; they may begin as upright in form but as their stems elongate, they tend to trail or ramble. Fishhooks Plant can produce stems that are over a metre in length so it is definitely a trailer, best displayed as a hanging plant. Its long, thin leaves are incurved — almost tubular — and are blue green in colour. The leaves are attached to long, pendulous stems. To keep the plant from getting too large the stems can be pruned, and the pruned stems can be used as cuttings to start new plants as they root readily in a dampened soilless mix. The ends of the stems that were cut off will soon produce new growth — usually two branches — so pruning creates a thicker, denser specimen.

Like most succulents, Fishhooks Plant prefers a light, fast-draining soil and should be fertilized very sparingly — once a year, if that often. It only needs to be watered every couple of weeks and the soil should be allowed to almost completely dry out between waterings. Senecio plants are not prone to attack by insects although if kept too wet mealy bugs might become an issue. They can be controlled by removing them (they look like small pieces of cotton fluff and usually appear in leaf axils) using a Q-Tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. The best defence against mealy bugs is good air circulation and not keeping plants too wet.

As I did more research about Senecio plants I realized that succulents from this family are more familiar than I thought and many of us may have grown. One such plant is String of Pearls, a close relative with the botanical name Senecio rowleyanus. This plant is known for its round green leaves that are attached to long, pendulous stems, looking much like bright-green, shiny pearls. Another is the Chalk Plant. S. vitalis and S. serpens are two varieties of Chalk Plant that have blue-green foliage and are rather upright in growth habit, likely getting their common name from the fact that their foliage is covered with what appears to be a white, chalk-like powder. It is best not to touch the foliage of such plants as the white coating is easily marked, detracting from its attractiveness.

While Fishhooks Plant and String of Pearls are definitely hanging plants, some others such as the Chalk Plant, can be grown as potted plants or combined with other non-trailing succulents and cacti to create interesting dish gardens.

Another S. radicans besides Fishhooks Plant is a variety called String of Bananas. This variety has puffy crescent-shaped leaves that do indeed have a banana shape.

If you see an unusual display of succulents in a garden centre this year, read the plant labels and not just the signage with the common names. If you see the word Senecio, you’ll know that the plants are low maintenance, easy to look after and attractive members of a large plant family — one with which you might already be familiar with. Treat yourself to one that you haven’t grown before and add it to your indoor landscape.

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Although the slips had no label on them I thought that they probably belonged to the peperomia family, recognizing the fleshy, heart-shaped leaves each coming to a sharp point, characteristic of the members of the peperomia plant family. Although many members of this family have colourful leaves, those of the plant I rescued are pure green.

By the end of June the plants had grown quite a bit — another characteristic of peperomias — they are very easy to propagate by using cuttings.

They are great plants for use in mixed containers such as fairy gardens, terrariums and bottle gardens, as they don’t mind other plants crowding them. Peperomias also make attractive specimen plants when planted individually in attractive containers.

They are not big plants; most grow only about 15 cm tall and grow at least as wide as they are tall, so are perfect tabletop plants for the indoor landscape.

Peperomias are native to tropical Central and South America where they are semi-epiphytic, growing on rotting tree trunks. When growing them as houseplants they demand a very porous soil; if a peperomia wilts it is usually not because it is dry but because its roots are not getting enough oxygen. Never overpot a peperomia for the same reason — the roots will suffocate in too large a pot. Water the plant sparingly and only after the top several centimetres of soil feel dry to the touch.

The main attraction of peperomias is their foliage. They do produce spikes of non-descript tiny flowers, but these are often cut off as they appear. The leaves come in a wide range of colours and textures — there are over 1,000 varieties of peperomias! The leaf surface might be rippled, smooth or shiny, and leaves can be pure green, red, cream or even grey. Many plants have an upright growth habit and a mounding appearance, but others trail and make attractive hanging plants.

The foliage can have interesting colouration. Although mine has plain green leaves, some varieties are marbled or striped. One popular peperomia is called “Watermelon” because its leaf surfaces resemble the markings on a watermelon — green with narrow silver stripes.

Because peperomias grow naturally under the canopy of tropical rainforests, they prefer low to medium light levels and object to direct sunlight. This makes them perfect for the interior as they do not need to be located in front of a window, making them more versatile than some other plants which demand brighter light.

Like most low-light plants, peperomias need not be watered very often. They are semi-succulent and their thick fleshy leaves store a lot of water. Because they are grown for their foliage it is important to keep the leaves clean and attractive. Both the rippled types as well as those that have shiny smooth foliage will attract dust. Holding the plants under the tap or shower while running a gentle spray of water will clean the foliage effectively. Kept clean and well groomed, a peperomia plant will make a great addition to any inside space.

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What they didn’t know then was that the plant’s other name, ‘Mother of Thousands,’ was a sign of things to come.

It was the first of what would be many, many more orders of succulents to stock their greenhouse. Today about 800 succulents grow inside Our Farm Greenhouse, their family business near Portage la Prairie. The plants are sold both retail and wholesale across Manitoba, Ontario and points west.

“Here was a plant that was really easy to look after and cool to look at and changed colour and had character,” recalls Doherty, today wholly involved with the family business. “We started to look into whether there were more.”

‘We’ were his parents, Leslie and his late father Les Doherty, who gave up their Calgary life more than two decades ago, to bring their young family of 14 to Manitoba to raise on a farm near where Les had grown up.

“They wanted to give us a better life than what the city could offer,” says Doherty. But his father wasn’t interested in conventional farming that would require heavy capitalization and a bigger land base. Instead, they bought 64 acres that included an existing strawberry farm, began growing vegetables to direct market, and built a greenhouse to produce seedlings before the succulents took off.

Doherty is aware of just one other greenhouse in Saskatchewan currently focused on succulent sales to the same extent.

“Mom and Dad wanted to be unique and they found a way to do it,” says their son.

Market niche

The specialization in succulents came from more than mere fascination with one type of plant, however. They’ve paid attention to gardening trends, observing while people want to have plants around them, they also have less time to devote to fussier plants.

“We started to notice that trend and said we’re going to have to match that market,” he said.

Succulents are perfect, because as drought-tolerant plants storing water in their leaves, stems and roots, they require so little attention you can ignore them for long periods.

They buy the plants from a U.S. supplier as tiny plugs to grow out. To date they have about 500 varieties for retail sale from May to August, and also sell plants at St. Norbert Farmers’ Market. Another 300 varieties, kept in another part of the greenhouse, are under ongoing testing for suitability in a Manitoba climate.

The diverse array of blues, greys and greens, leaf shapes, textures, with curious names like Burro’s Tail (Sedum morganianum), Calico Kitten (Crassula ovata), Flap Hen-and-Chicks (Sempervivum tectorum) and Happy Young Lady (Cotyledon) house a vast undersea landscape in the greenhouse.

Customers buy them by the armload because they’re ultra-low maintenance and produce fascinating gardens for gardeners with little or no time to look after them, says Doherty, who has put some plants to the extreme tests.

“I’ve left some dry for eight months to a year and put them in a chamber so sun pounds on them,” he said. “It will look dead, but you give it water and it comes right back.”

Living walls

Those interested in living walls love succulents. Our Farm Greenhouse holds spring workshops that help people create personal artworks, or ‘living pictures,’ planting succulents in specially designed framed planters to hang on the wall. People love them and get excited about creating art with plants, says Doherty who has attracted large crowds doing demos at the Red River Ex.

Succulents are also used on green roofs, but it will take more research to adapt the green roof for Manitoba, says Doherty. Our winters are too cold and these plants aren’t cold hardy enough to survive the extreme cold and wind at higher elevations. “Summertime green roofing works but you can’t do perennial planting on a green roof in Manitoba right now,” he said. “There’s too much winterkill.”

It’s no easy feat keeping 800 succulents warm over winter in Our Farm Greenhouse either.

They must keep the facility slightly warmer than most conventional greenhouses, and it’s operating year round, plus it takes many hands to care for such a significant inventory too.

That was part of their parents’ vision too, says Doherty. They wanted a farm business that would create employment for their kids and hoped they’d learn to love the rural life too. They were successful with that as well. Eight of Doherty’s siblings, who range in age from their 20s to their 40s, are working part time with the greenhouse and vegetable production.

They chose the name Our Farm for a reason, adds Doherty. His folks were progressive thinkers who realized not only creativity and specialization were necessary to make a go of a small-farm venture, but that a farm is only as successful as it is supported by the surrounding community. They wanted their farm’s name to convey a sense of interdependence with customers who support them, said Doherty.

“We didn’t want to call it the Dohertys’ farm. Anyone who buys from us is helping us to be here. Thus the name.”

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They make great houseplants as they can go for weeks without being watered — good for people who are away for long periods or for those who simply forget to water on a regular basis. They are very undemanding and tolerate a wide range of growing conditions.

Gasteria will perform well in cool environments — mine are in my cool, all-season sunroom during the winter — but do not object to warmer temperatures either. They are not at all fussy about soil and as long as the potting mix and container provide good drainage, they will be happy. When I am potting cacti and succulents, I always mix a bit of sand into my potting mix and usually cover the soil surface with sand to create a desert-like landscape. The sand helps to increase the soil’s drainage. Succulents need only be fertilized infrequently and when they are fed plant food, care must be taken as any water containing fertilizer can mark the leaves if it is allowed to drip onto the foliage.

Smaller gasteria plants can be included in dish gardens with other succulents or cacti, while individually potted specimens can be displayed alone or combined with other plants within a larger plant grouping to add interest and texture.

It is the unique colouration and texture of gasteria leaves that make them so interesting and unique. G. maculata has blunt-tipped, tongue-shaped, glossy leaves that are dark green and marked with white spots or bands. The leaves are 15 cm long and five cm wide and arranged in two opposite, flattened rows one leaf atop the next. G. verrucosa is another interesting gasteria whose leaves are about the same size as those of G. maculata, but a bit narrower and somewhat concave on the top. This plant has the common name “Ox Tongue” because the dark-green leaves are covered with small white warts — giving the leaves the texture of a cow’s tongue. I have a large specimen of this variety and it has been in the same pot for over 10 years and other than the clump getting larger due to the production of more offshoots, it doesn’t change very much from year to year.

Another plus for this plant genus is that its members do not need to be repotted very often; they have a very slow growth rate so they do not outgrow their space. Every once in a while I give the leaves a quick wipe with a damp cloth to get rid of the dust and make them more attractive. They are indeed low-maintenance plants.

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One such disposable plant is the kalanchoe. They are usually sold in four-inch pots because they are not large plants (about 15 to 20 cm tall) — just the right size to be used on a tabletop. Kalanchoes come in a wide variety of colours, ranging from pure white to pink through lavender, red, yellow and brilliant orange. The flowers are composed of clusters that are held above the foliage on stiff stems and a plant will produce several clusters that provide a very nice display.

Kalanchoe blooms are long lasting and a plant (unless it had bloomed for several weeks in the place of purchase) will be colourful for well over a month. The foliage is quite attractive as well; the dark-green, lobed leaves are fleshy and closely spaced on the stem, providing an attractive foil for the flowers. The fleshy leaves are a reminder that kalanchoes are succulents, and like most succulents, they must be watered with care.

Allow the planting medium to dry out before you water the plant again. The leaves of succulents will store water in their tissues and overwatering will lead to root and stem rot. Locating the plant where there is good air circulation will help to prevent such problems. If you plan to dispose of the plant after it has finished blooming, you will not need to fertilize it as there will be enough residual fertilizer in the planting medium.

Kalanchoes like warm temperatures and sunlight, so locate the plant where it will get some direct sun. They are easy-maintenance plants although you will want to deadhead any spent blooms. If you do want to try to get the plant to rebloom, when the blooms fade cut the plant back to about half its height, water and feed it. Kalanchoes are photosensitive plants that set bloom in response to daily periods of darkness. Place the plant in a dark closet for up to 12 hours each night, bringing it out into sunshine during the day. You may have luck in inducing your kalanchoe to set buds — but if you don’t, you will have already had your money’s worth out of the plant and can discard it without regret.

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There, at the International Peace Garden, you will discover the wonderful world of their new conservatory, which also has a small restaurant that is open all winter.

Everyone — gardeners particularly — will enjoy viewing interesting and unique plants as the new building houses North America’s largest collection of cacti and succulents, and boasts the world’s largest collection of a particular kind of succulent, the echeveria.

The Peace Garden just recently acquired this phenomenal collection of over 5,000 cacti and succulents from Minot, North Dakota resident, Don Vitko.

The collection was to be moved gradually as construction of the conservatory progressed stage by stage, but Mother Nature had other plans and the entire collection, in danger of being destroyed by 2011 flooding in Minot, was hurriedly transported. Three-quarters of the 5,000 plants were housed temporarily in the annual greenhouses. When the first phase of the new conservatory was complete, over 1,000 of the potted cacti and succulents were put on display. Construction of the remaining stages is underway with the goal of the rest of the collection being moved in this year.

The collection ranges from cacti native to North America to an African collection and even some very rare specimens such as one of only three pilocereus keyensis in existence in North America; originating in Florida, it is extinct in the wild.

A world-famous collection of Pilocereus cacti, which are pillar cacti with long hair-like material growing out of their trunks, is also is housed here. Of the 56 known kinds in the world, the Don Vitko collection has 53 of them. Many of the cacti and succulents will start blooming in March, adding even more interest. The plants are all potted and are displayed to maximize the enjoyment of visitors. Wide brick walkways make strolling through the display easy, even for those with mobility issues. Hours are 10 to 5 p.m. during the winter months.

A trip to this wonderful destination will surely motivate you to make another visit when the entire collection is on display later in the year.

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A cacti or succulent should never have to endure sodden soil.

I always know that spring is coming when my cacti and succulent plants, spurred on by the increasing length of daylight in my sunroom, begin to bloom. I have a large collection of cacti and succulents and although I enjoy their unique beauty year round, I especially enjoy the blooms that they put forth in the spring. If I were to put the plants outdoors for the summer, I would be rewarded with additional bloom during the summer months as well. All cacti and succulents have one main characteristic in common, and that is that they can store water in their fleshy tissue to enable them to endure periods of drought.

Even though they are drought tolerant, these plants prefer a gritty, sand-based planting medium and in fact if cacti and succulents are planted in too heavy a soil, and particularly if they are overwatered, they often rot or appear unhappy.

Many cacti and succulents (cacti have spines or needles; succulents don’t) are rather small plants and most are slow growing, so they can be planted in relatively small containers, although those which grow as clumps should be planted in larger pots. These clump-forming cacti are often, but not always, members of the Mammillaria or Chamaecereus families. The more upright cacti that grow as a single trunk belong to a number of families, including the common barrel cactus. Succulents often develop offshoots and become clumps over time, such as the well-known aloe vera.

When I pot up succulents and cacti I use a basic soilless mix, but I add a bit more perlite to the mix, as well as some sharp sand. Rather than adding the sand to the mix during the potting-up process, I often add a layer of sand to the surface of the soil in the pot after the plant has been potted up. Over time some of this sand will be carried down into the soil during watering. I think this layer of sand improves the appearance of the potted plants and I sometimes add a small animal figurine or a couple of small, polished stones as accents.

Cacti and succulents should be watered infrequently, and seldom during the dormant period, which is the winter season. If the plants are kept in a cool location during the winter, such as the sunroom where mine are located, they will only need watering about every six weeks or so, and then just enough to slightly dampen the soil. A cacti or succulent should never have to endure sodden soil.

If cacti and succulent plants are put outdoors for the summer they must be in containers that have excellent drainage. Even then, it might be wise during heavy rain to bring the pots indoors to avoid getting them too wet. If they are exposed to a lot of rain, the pots can be tipped on their sides to facilitate the drainage of excess water from the soil. A grouping of several pots of cacti or succulents makes a nice focal point in the outdoor landscape, particularly if some of them are in bloom.

I rarely fertilize my cacti and succulent plants although I do relent and occasionally feed larger specimens which have been in the same containers for several years. This is another distinct advantage of growing cacti and succulents: they do not have to be repotted very often. Cacti and succulents are such interesting plants – there are thousands of varieties – and they are so easy to grow, and can enhance both the indoor landscape and the outdoor garden.

– Albert Parsons writes from Minnedosa, Manitoba

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