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Gifts of flowers, especially for special occasions, are appreciated and loved. I know I love that Christmas poinsettia, and the birthday floral arrangement, and those Valentine’s Day roses!

But we need gifts for more than calendar holidays. How many times have I looked for a last-minute gift? A friend invites me to a luncheon, or a colleague is ill, and I’d like to visit and take a small token of my love or appreciation. As gardeners, we can easily give our gifts of love from our own windowsills or gardens.

I’d like to offer a suggestion that you consider adding succulents to your indoor and outdoor gardens, not only for personal enjoyment but also as a source for sharing plants with others. Even if you don’t think you’re familiar with succulents, you probably are. They are plants like cacti, jade, and aloes that one would more likely find in a dry, desert-like environment. They are easy to grow, and they don’t demand much attention … in fact, they don’t like much attention.

When you select and buy a succulent at a local nursery or store, you have taken the first step. Use this first plant as an opportunity to learn about the nature of these families of plants. Notice first that the leaves are fleshy, and that’s because they store water. That means you don’t need to water them every day. In fact, if you do, you will probably cause their roots to rot. Again, check out the soil into which the plant was planted. It’s soil that drains well and doesn’t hold water. It likely contains small pebbles or vermiculite (white stuff that looks like Styrofoam). And the pot must have a hole in the bottom to allow for drainage.

After you’ve collected one or several more succulents, all you must do is to check on them periodically. They will grow happily indoors and outdoors. Soon a plant will be ready for you to turn it into many plants by a process called propagation, and there are several easy ways to propagate succulents.

Some succulents have stems, or growths coming off the mother plant. Those stems can become your first new plants. Simply snip one and let it dry for a week or so until the stem forms a scab where you cut it. I’ve learned that this delay in planting will keep the stem from taking in too much water when you plant it into your potting mixture. Also, if you don’t water immediately, the plant will be more likely to grow tiny, red, hair-like roots that are looking for water and will help stabilize the plant when you put it into its new pot. I’ve successfully used this method with kalanchoes.

Another way to propagate is to take a few leaves from a plant and let them dry for a few days or until you see roots sprouting from the leaf. Remember, the leaves are full of water, so they don’t need water, just soil. We all love holiday, Christmas and Easter cacti, and this works so well with them … just a single leaf will make a new plant.

I’ve also learned that some varieties of succulent plants are very easy to divide. That means that the main plant has leaves with tiny roots that can be separated and replanted to make new plants. Simply remove the plant from its pot and loosen the soil with your fingers to separate the roots and plants. Then you can give each plant a new home. Depending on the succulent, this may be the easiest way to expand your garden.

So, as your plants grow and give you more and more plants, think about how you can share your love of plants with your friends. I hope you create many lovely, inexpensive, long-lasting and easy-to-care-for floral gifts to decorate your own home as well as for sharing.

— The Smith County Master Gardener program is a volunteer organization in connection with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

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“I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.” (Psalm 119:14)