The Upside

Some of my best looking hang-ups

Lately I’ve been thinking,”What’ll I do when I run out of space for plants?” It is conceivable at this point — I can’t seem to stop buying new ones and they’re now everywhere on the property, both in-ground and in pots. The problem is just when I think I’ve got every succulent available, a new variety pops up and I have to have it. I’ve really been taken by all the succulent types that drape and trail and that’s suggested a solution for my plant overpopulation: I can hang them! This works out perfectly, because it opens up room for new succulents to be purchased and allows me to indulge my container shopping mania. Here’re some recent acquistions, from left: this large, teardrop-shaped terra cotta hanger actually came with the plant included and I love both. The dry-seeming spaghetti tangle of the stems end in plump little jelly bean clusters and look great tumbling out on both sides. Next, peas-on-a-string succulents weigh in on their new perch: a vintage metal grocer’s scale with a handsome dial. Lastly, a mid-century wire basket hanger brims with plump donkey-tails, looking like a salad that’s tossing itself.

The Rancho's colorful, shapely, hangers-on

From the top left: two really different succulents, one almost geometically twiggy and one that looks like long strands of tiny green peppers, peek at each other around patio posts. The former sits in a marked Bauer hanging pot and the latter in metal cake carrier top, turned upside down. In the next picture a handmade copper container from the Long Beach Flea Market is re-purposed as the home of a plant the seller called a ‘string of nickels’ succulent, the flat leaves forming perfect circles on their slender stems. Last, is the big score of a couple weeks ago: a huge rusted circle with a shallow basket suspended inside that creates the perfect home for vibrant lime green sedums and more of the twiggy trailer of the first picture. I guess hanging plants will eventually leave me with the same dilemma: what’ll I do when I run out of space for more plants? I have a little time, but I wonder if it’s too soon to investigate rooftop gardening?