How to look after succulents

Cacti and other succulents are great for young people because they’re not as intensive as a lot of houseplants, so if you’re busy at school, and forget to water it for a few weeks, it’s not going to die. Cacti are really resilient and I think that’s a strong symbol to have around you. They’re hardy but at the same time they bloom these absolutely lovely, precious and very delicate flowers – which goes to show, you can be both: strong but caring and delicate, too.

The most common mistake people make when looking after cacti is overwatering them. People can kill their plants with kindness. You should make sure the soil completely dries out before you water it again. Another problem is putting the plants in a pot with no drainage so when it’s watered, the water keeps filling up instead of draining away from the plant and that rots the root.

My love for horticulture began while wandering through my grandmother’s beautiful gardens in St Lucia as a child. My grandparents brought me up to appreciate plants and flowers, so I began painting and drawing them before moving onto photographing them. A few years later, I won the RHS photography prize.

I had always dreamed of being a florist, so while working a 9–5 office job as a fraud and compliance analyst, I studied contemporary floral design and worked in a florist’s shop on weekends. Although I was exhausted, it didn’t really feel like work because it was my passion.

It was on holiday in Morocco that I fell in love with absolutely massive cacti and succulents. When I came home, I wanted to add them to my collection, but I couldn’t really find them anywhere until I stumbled across amazing ones at the Chelsea Flower Show. Usually, we just see the bog-standard ones. I’d never seen any that had flowers and I think that got me hooked.

After finding out how many species exist, I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a dedicated shop. Then it kind of just sparked an idea in my head: I should open one myself. I’d been working on my green fingers for years but seeing the demand for houseplants and cacti as customers came into the florist asking for them, I knew I was onto something.

I decided to jump in with both feet: I gave up my job and sold my flat to finance the business so I didn’t have the burden of a mortgage while trying to do all of this with no income! Taking my hands-on experience from working in the florist along with the technical knowledge I’d learned at college, I started attending the free business workshops available in London – from how to start a business to financial planning – so I could learn how to write a business plan (which is so important!).

I went to the library – the business library, the British Library, my local library. I was checking out everything I could on start-up businesses. I asked for help from anyone I could: mentors at the library and anyone who had a business. I would ask them everything and found that most people who owned a business really wanted to help.

I think positivity is a massive part of success. It’s infectious. If I questioned what I was doing I think everybody else around me would, too, so they might not have been as willing to help me. They might not have thought I believed in my idea enough.

I think if you’re doing something, you have to believe in yourself, especially if it’s new or different to you. I know there’s a line between optimism and being delusional, but I think positivity is essential to keep going.

I knew following my passion would have a positive effect on my life and therefore on the people around me, because I would be a happier person, doing something I really love, bringing this dream to life. A positive outlook helps you to push one step further, learn a bit more and instil excitement in other people.

Positivity is a state of mind. You can be sad, angry, happy, stressed, but still have a positive outlook, and I think that’s life-changing. We’re all human, so shouldn’t try and make ourselves happy all the time; there are going to be hard times. But knowing that things will get better and that everything is a learning experience, pushing you to do better in the future, really helps.

I think that’s what positivity is: knowing that no matter how hard or stressful things are, it’s not permanent. It makes you realise that even when you fail, they’re not real failures – they’re just learning experiences to help you succeed in the future.

Caring for your cacti

• Give them as much sunlight as possible so always put them in the brightest place in your room (usually a windowsill).
• Give your cactus a season. When they’re out in the wild, they obviously know when summer and winter is but when they’re in our homes, we tend to give them the same amount of care all year round.
• To help them thrive and flower in the spring, give them a winter and a summer.
• Make the months between March and October the plants’ summer and give them water about every two weeks. In the height of summer, probably once a week.
• When it comes to October, the plant is going to go into its dormant mode and that’s when you could cut back on the watering. You might think that between October to March they could go without water but, because of central heating, you have to give it a few drops every few weeks to make sure the roots don’t completely dry out.
• In houses with central heating, it’s best to put all your plants in one place and then turn the heating down near to those plants, so you don’t end up drying them out over the winter months.