Amanda and Bethany love succulents, and it has rubbed off onto me. Bethany loves the hedgehog aloe. I've had them off and on over the years, but this spring/summer I've added many more as well as passed many onto friends.
I very recently purchased the 20 grade B succulents from Plants for Pets. The price at the time was 28.95. I received 25 plants and some extra leaves (they propagate easily). My plants came out to 1.16 each! Most of them were leggy or had broken leaves or were asymmetrical which is what makes them "grade B." They were all healthy and disease free. Four or five of the plants looked like grade A plants. I am very pleased with my purchase and wanted to pass the bargain onto our plant loving family and friends.
Small succulents will grow in a teacup or a ramekin and can sit on a window ledge. They are perfect for those living in smaller spaces. You can find all sorts of suitable planters in thrift stores for pennies. You can also splurge on pretty Pioneer Woman ramekins (currently at 16.99/2.83 each) and plant smaller succulents in those and part them out as gifts and still save money on gift giving. These window hanging planters can be filled those with the bigger succulents.
Succulents make nice, frugal, but welcomed housewarming gifts, hostess gifts, dorm "warmers," farewell gifts, or they can cheer up a sick friend. I like propagating and keeping extra houseplants around in pretty pots just for those reasons.
I am thankful for the example my sweet and beautiful paternal grandmother, Elsie Bailey, gave me. She showed me how to minister in a meaningful way as a simple extension of her mothering and homemaking. Love overflowed from her to everyone she met. When you visited, you got a hug and went home with a gift. I saw how those simple things made a big difference.
Be genuine, be loving, and do what you can for others. A little from you often means a lot more than you think! As my grandmother showed me, even hugs, garden vegetables, and houseplants count for God's kingdom when your heart and mind is set on serving Him by being His light to others.
