The Succulents That Flew Away

I grow flowers and succulents on my balcony.

When I first started growing succulents,

I heard they were easy to care for,
but perhaps because I overprotect them,
things didn't go well, and I often ended up letting them wither.

Learning that I could propagate succulents,
I decided to give it a try.


At first, I used an egg carton,
but when I tried planting them, I ended up tipping the whole thing over with the soil.

And, perhaps because the succulents were kept indoors,
all the baby succulents died.

(This time, I'll keep them outdoors instead of indoors.)



Regardless, when I decide to do something,
I want to put it into action immediately.

The end of March.
It's the season when Tokyo gradually starts to warm up.

Even though it's getting warmer, there are still cold days.



(There's only one thing for it...)
The ultimate item to keep out the cold when used outdoors.



I headed to the supermarket.
Piles of that stuff waiting to be discarded.
Yes, the ultimate item is "styrofoam."

If you sit on it, it provides insulation.
I proved it with my own body
during the Disney countdown.



I decided to take some and use it to grow my succulents.



One shallow styrofoam container.
I don't have any small pots to put inside...

(Hmm...)




What caught my eye were plastic bottle caps.



(Oh, that might work!)





I put soil into the bottle caps
and attached small cut-up name tags.

"Wow!"



Even though it's just recycled material, it's kind of cute.
I immediately placed the succulent leaves I had plucked off one by one.

Getting greedy, I plucked a few extra.

"If these all grow, I'll make a succulent arrangement."

I wanted to keep them outdoors, but there are still cold days.
This time, I decided to move them in and out of the house.

＿＿＿＿A few days later.



(It's a bit cold today...)


But the weather is really nice.
I decided to take them outside to get some sun.



Looking at the clock, it's time to pick up
my son from kindergarten.

I went to the pickup spot,
and although it was warm, I was enveloped by a strong wind.


"It's the first strong wind of spring, isn't it?"


I said to a mom friend as we walked home.



Before the sun goes down,
I have to put the succulents away...

Wait, what!?

When I looked out the window from my room, the
succulent box was gone from where I had placed it.

I rushed to the window in a panic.

It felt like I could see the outline of the box in dotted lines,
just like in a manga.


“Huh?? Where did it go... hmm...”

(...)



...There it was.
When I looked closely, the “box” was there.

However,
it was standing on its side.

What I saw was the bottom of the box.




I hurriedly put it back in its original position.



(...)



Most of the contents were gone.
Even the ones that remained had all been flipped over,
so the labels had fallen off and I had no idea which was which.



“Ah, the first storm of spring...”



Yes, the first spring gale had blown through,
and everyone had gone missing.


Ever since then,
whenever I propagate succulents,
I have decided to place them next to the pots they are planted in.


Of course, only after the season for the first spring gale has passed.


Those little succulents that flew away that day,
I hope they are growing in someone's garden.

🍃 Stories of other plant-related mini-incidents? 🍃