string of pearls

for this weekend's greenthumb post, i'm going to talk about something i'm totally, utterly unqualified to talk about. i mean, christmas cactus - totally under control. paperwhites - pshh, in the bag.

succulents - i suck.

seriously, it seems there couldn't be anything easier to take care of than a plant in the cacti family, right? well, i can't handle it. i've been keeping one poor aloe plant on life support for a full 2 years now - i won't even post a picture, it's so embarrassing. my jade plant - no clue why it's lasted this long, but now half of the leaves are yellow and shrivelly, due to some unknown disaster i've forced upon it. but despite it all, i love them. i love their plump, juicy leaves, their cool green textures, their supposed nonchalant attitude.

so, i wanted to share this neat plant i came across a few days ago - the string of pearls, also called string of hearts, rosary beads, or even, my favorite, string of bananas! native to south west africa (which i guess means it's technically an invasive species...the environmentalist in me says that's a big no-no), senecio rowleyanus requires nothing more than lots of sunlight and a bit of water - after that, step back and it's on it's way (that's what they all say!).

the unique shape of their "leaves" allows them to store a vast amount of water and to survive in even the harshest of environments and under severe drought conditions. while they can be easily used as a bit of ground cover, i think they look absolutely gorgeous in a hanging pot, with their long strands draping down to the ground. elegant and a bit otherworldly, how beautiful would they look in a big sunny window - and think of the shadow they'd cast! word to the wise, however, they are potentially poisonous to cats and little ones, so keep 'em out of reach!

and, as usual, here are my favorites from flickr (not a lot over there, surprisingly!):

• macro shot of string of pearls by pixibility;
• gorgeous sun and shadow by sydneyamw;
• my absolute favorite is this one from wisecraft; oh how i covet the plant AND the planter (by perch ceramics).