Succulents - Keepers

This past Thursday we had a Keepers meeting at Aunt Jeanine's house.  We learned about succulents and each member got to plant a shell with "Hens and Chicks", (the scientific name is, Sempervivum.)  Aunt Jeanine showed us some of her succulent cuttings taken from a parent plant and replanted, that are now recognizable plants after a few months. She had an Aloe Vera plant and a Christmas cactus plant there as examples of cuttings.  When taking a cutting from off the parent plant you want to choose large, plump segments.  Set your cuttings in the soil just deep enough to stand alone. Place your cuttings in a warm, shady spot, and keep the soil barely moist.  We also learned that all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti.  What makes a cactus a cactus is not the lack of leaves or spines.  The distinguishing mark is a small rounded cushion-like structure called an areole. The areole is what the spines come out from on a cactus. 

Aunt Jeanine showed us these Hen's and Chicks in a boot she uses as a garden decoration...

 

 We filled the shells with potting soil and then planted our Hen's and Chick's.

 

 Hen's and Chicks in a shell...

 

 three examples of succulents - Aloe Vera, Christmas cactus, & Hen's and Chicks.

 

 We had a guest speaker come and tell us about some "special" plants she received from Sister Hattie Wright.  Sister Janet was privileged to go to Sister Hattie's home in 1972.  Sister Hattie shared a few Egyptian Walking Onions with Sister Janet's mother and Sister Janet shared with some sister's in the church.  These onions have bulblets which will sprout and grow while still on the original stalk. The stalk will bend down under the weight of the new growth and take root some distance from the parent plant, giving it the name "walking onion". It's a perennial onion which comes back every year.
 

We also made some "Autumn" themed snacks...

 



Maple leaf tortilla bites...

 



"Acorns" out of doughnut holes with crushed nuts stuck to chocolate icing and a pretzel rod.

 



Another acorn made out of Hershey Kisses, Nilla wafers, and mini caramel kisses stuck on with peanut butter... *Notice the orange leaf napkins? Aunt Jeanine made a leaf pattern then turned her orange napkins into cute oak leaves :)

 



Making fall designs on cupcakes with stencils and powdered sugar...

Thank you to Aunt Jeanine for another great meeting!