Trailing Jade or Hen & Chicks to Help Us "Think Spring"

Small succulent plants such as Hen & Chicks or Trailing Jade in eggshell cups might just help us all to "think spring".

This spring there is a happy convergence of several holidays. And even if we do not celebrate any of these, the season of spring is, in itself, cause for celebration. The celebrations are all linked, in one way or another, to the theme of rebirth. And so fresh green growth, flower buds, eggs… these honor the season.

Utilizing eggshells as containers for tiny succulent plants is simple as can be. A few taps on the rim of a dish, and one portion of the shell can be removed, quite neatly in fact. Some bits of shell invariably fall into the dish of egg white, but they can be fished out with another piece of shell. The yolk and egg white can be used in recipes while the shell gets employed as a mini plant pot.

This idea came to mind this spring when I was looking for something different to create in honor of the season. I discovered that many have used eggshells as springtime planters for tiny plants. I could not resist making up some for myself.

A plant-start or offshoot from a larger plant can grow happily in an eggshell container. For me, likely choices were succulent plants, for many are small and even if they are not, they generally behave well when teased apart. 

The first choice of succulent for me was Hen & Chicks. I think I was attracted to all the fooling around I could do about “which came first” and the like. But truth being told, I just like Hen & Chicks plants because they are so easy to grow. I had some unnamed green Hen & Chicks, and I also imagined how some of the more colorful varieties (nothing too large) might look in small egg cups. My green Hen & Chicks were of a perfect size to fit, one rosette per eggshell, and so I created a few cups that I liked quite a bit. 

Beyond using Hen & Chicks, I wanted to try something else. I knew that a small offshoot stem of the succulent known as Trailing Jade could fit beautifully in an eggshell cup. Sure, it would look toweringly tall, but that was part of the fun of placing it into the small, white and all-natural container. I knew that the Trailing Jade would contrast well with Hen & Chicks which would peek over the egg cups just a bit, always maintaining their low profile.

Crassula ovata is what we typically think of as Jade, a very easy-growing plant. Those who have trouble with houseplants seem to have great luck growing this plump-leaved and bushy Jade to mammoth sizes, no problem at all. Trailing Jade is no different in its easy-growing nature, but it is indeed a different plant, not closely related to Crassula ovata. (Crassula ovata is not a good candidate for fitting into an eggshell container. But Trailing Jade is.)

Trailing Jade, or Senecio jacobsenii, trails or vines from containers of all sorts. And its stem type and growth habit allow it to start out small, be divided with ease, and fit into a tighter space. In a container so small and, thus, temporary as a cup made from an eggshell, the Trailing Jade will take an upright form. But after the spring holidays, when transplanted into a container of a more luxurious size, this succulent can do its thing and look absolutely wonderful as it develops into a plant that will trail here and there.

Trailing Jade has spoon-shaped foliage. The foliage is not as plump and fleshy as that of the more common Jade we are used to seeing, but it is the foliage of a succulent nonetheless. Trailing Jade can handle bright light or partial shade, and it does not need any extraordinary care. That makes it so very similar to the Hen & Chicks, which never call out to be fed and always seem to do well.

Of course, there are other plants beyond Trailing Jade, Hen & Chicks, and even succulent plants in general that would look “right” in eggshell containers. Oxalis, grasses, moss… so many plants could be used for this sort of spring display. And for holding the little eggshell planters upright, there of course would be no need for fancy “egg cups”, like the ones that come in some sets of fine china. No, those are hard to come by. Just set the eggs back into the carton or a portion of the carton, and you will be all set.

Knowing I have some friends who do not use real eggs, I realize this quick and easy project could be done just as well with the snap-together plastic eggs that children sometimes get at this time of year. A display using those would honor springtime and the holidays as much as anything else. 

So, rebirth. As the first buds on perennials pop from the soil, we know we have arrived at this beautiful time of year. It is hard to make it any more beautiful than it already is, but if you have a few eggs on hand and at least one tiny plant, such as a small Trailing Jade or some Hen & Chicks, you can put your own spin on this quick project.