Adopt-A-Succulent event connects plant-loving community on campus

Chapman’s University Program Board presents Adopt-A-Succulent event for students and plant lovers alike to take home their very own succulent. DANIEL PEARSON, Staff Photographer.

Kim Nguyen feels like a kid in a candy store every time she enters a nursery brimming with succulents. The senior biochemistry and molecular science double major has had a soft spot for the fleshy desert plants since she started gardening with her father as a child. To Nguyen, photosynthesis and anything in a terracotta pot equals happiness in its fullest form.

“My bear paw (cotyledon tomentosa) flowered recently, over the summer; they had white flowers, and it was really stunning,” Nguyen said. “(Succulents) don't flower very often, and they only flower if they are perfectly happy. It takes a lot more energy for succulents and cacti to flower than normal plants.” 

Though Nguyen said her kitchen at home is completely filled with potted pals, she added another to her collection at Chapman’s Oct. 5 Adopt-A-Succulent event hosted by the University Program Board (UPB). She and dozens of other avid plant-lovers gathered in the Attallah Piazza to decorate terracotta pots and plant succulents in them. 

Allie Sondak, the daytime entertainment director of UPB, was eager to bring the annual event back to campus, since it was not held last year due to pandemic restrictions.

“(Adopt-A-Succulent) is definitely a great representation of what UPB and specifically (daytime entertainment) does: it’s a casual event where you get to make friends … or do something cool for 30 minutes to an hour for your day,” said Sondak, a junior integrated educational studies major. “I thought it was a perfect thing to bring back for the fall, as we’re all rolling into the stressful season full of midterms.” 

This year, Adopt-A-Succulent was such a hit that all the succulents brought in were adopted and given happy new homes. Though Sondak told The Panther she does not measure success by numbers.  

“It’s super rewarding when a bunch of people work super hard to make something happen and when people enjoy it; I think that’s the best feeling,” Sondak said. “What really matters is the impact, the outreach, the feelings and the response you get from people. I could tell a lot of people were smiling and happy. ”

Nguyen has amassed over 20 succulents and said the necessary care for these organisms is something even a college student can handle.

“(Succulents) are low maintenance and very inexpensive,” Nguyen said. “You don’t have to buy a plant every single time; you can take a leaf off an old plant, leave it on the soil and (then) you have a new plant … You don’t have to water them for a month, and they’ll be fine. You can buy small pots and those will fit perfectly on a windowsill — that way they can get the amount of light they need as well.” 

Nguyen recommends aspiring plant lovers looking to develop their green thumb stop by The Potting Shed in the Orange Circle or Upland Nursery in Orange for cacti and succulents. For houseplants, she suggests checking out Evergreen Nursery and Houseplant Nation in Garden Grove.

Another succulent-lover is screenwriting professor Jeff Fazio. Fazio said he likes succulents because not only are they drought tolerant — which is perfect for Southern California weather — but they also offer unique textures and almost iridescent colors. 

“To me, it sort of looks like what an alien forest must look like; there’s just this combination of colors and textures, and in some ways, they don’t look like most plants you see,” Fazio said. “The desert is a place that has been created over eons (that) these unbelievable plants find ways to survive in — I guess that’s one of the reasons they are the way they are. Their leaves are full of moisture, and they produce such spectacular flowers to attract insects that will help them pollinate.” 

When building his succulent gardens, Fazio applies a concept often used in art and writing called “counterpointing.” 

“I like to take plants that are in the wild that would never grow together, but put them together,” Fazio said. “By putting them together, (you create) counterpoint or even contrast. The difference between the two makes you appreciate each one individually better, in contrast to the one that’s next to it. One of the wonderful things about gardening is that everything’s always a work in progress. I am always moving things around, buying new things and finding new combinations of plants.” 

The Adopt-A-Succulent event has brought a community of people on campus together, united by their appreciation for the beauty of succulents. For more information on UPB events this fall, check out their homepage, Instagram and Facebook.