[WATCH] – Avid gardener creates beautiful arrangements
It takes the Doonside resident about 20 minutes to create one of her arrangements once she has visited a nursery to pick up supplies and plants.
Kayla du Plessis’, 27, green fingers are firmly planted into succulent pots. She is an avid gardener and when lockdown began, she took an interest in creating beautiful succulent arrangements. A succulent is a plant that retains water in its leaves or stem. Due to their low maintenance nature and fascinating shape, these plants can often be found decorating office desks and small gardens.
“I always liked plants and having them in my home and gardening. During lockdown, I started playing around with succulents and making little arrangements with them and a friend was amazed by them. I learnt a lot more about them and what they like and don’t like as well as the different types of succulents and house plants.” When asked what are some of the dos and don’ts of caring for succulents, Kalya said, “If they are inside they need to be near a window or a place with lots of sunlight. They love sunlight and will not survive for very long if there isn’t any. Only water them once or twice a week. Ensure that they are clean and that bugs are not eating them. It is also important to have a container or pot with a proper drainage system. If you have them in pots I would recommend changing their soil once a year. To ensure there is enough nutrients. They are the most low maintenance plants around.”
It takes the Doonside resident about 20 minutes to create one of her arrangements once she has visited a nursery to pick up supplies and plants. Her favourite type of succulent is an echeveria elegans, commonly known as rock rose.
“It is a beautiful plant and if you pick off one of the leaves and plant it, a new plant will grow from just that and the leaf that you picked off can grow back.”
She encourages others to take up gardening and increase their green footprints.
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