Green Thumb: In Praise of Succulents

I have a bit of a succulent fetish. They're just so ... weird. And otherworldly. And fleshy. And textural. And cool.

And, let's not forget, practically death-proof. It's true: If you leave succulents out in the burning sun and forget to water them for months at a time, they'll be fine. I give a mixed pot of them to my mother (a notorious black thumb) every year, and even she can't kill them.

Bigger succulents can be pricey, but they grow quickly and multiply like mad, so I like to buy the cheap, tiny ones in 2-inch containers at the Easy Bay Nursery in Berkeley or the big Rockridge Longs off Broadway. When I'm a bit more flush, or after some unusual varieties, I hit the Dry Garden in North Oakland. One of these days, I'm going to make it up to Sebastopol's Lone Pine Nursery, the wholesale succulent and cacti grower that stocks most of the nurseries in the Bay Area.

Next time you're shopping for plants, grab a basketful of echeveria, euphorbia, or agave, then group them together in an interesting pot for a weird -- and wonderful -- living arrangement.