May you live long and prosper

I need to tell you something. I've been bitten by the plant bug. BY INA AMOR MEJIA

WE GOT AN ASSORTMENT of such wonderful presents over the holidays, including this group of succulents from my cousin-in-law Rica. I somehow felt a kinship with this thing, and it stirred a longing for a proper garden of my own somewhere in my three-storey apartment. Growing up my siblings and I had the run of my grandmother's large garden. I still dream of the ivy-covered walls, the manicured lawn, the lush orchids and the massive star-apple tree that lorded over everything. As the sun fell, my Dad would take a rock and hurl it at the tree, and we watched in awe as the flock of birds on its branches flew away, Hitchcock-style. My Mom seems to have inherited that elusive green thumb. One time she kept a rose garden where the blooms grew to the size of small plates. And curiously, we had a small pet cemetery behind it. There lay at least one dog, a lizard, a couple of spiders, and one other undefinable creature buried in a matchbox.

I had plants once, in my living room, and they all died. I didn't talk to them enough. Or maybe I have the Black Thumb of Death. I've named our succulent, Sucky.

Dear you, may you live long and prosper.

Update: I've repotted Sucky to three separate pots and moved them up to our deck for some fresh air and full sun. I've also decided to water every four days (against expert advise). So God of Succulents help me. Been reading Gardening Succs and Succulents and Sunshine and they're great. And thanks for reading!