polk sheet

Succulents are the Ugg boots of botany. For whatever reason (ask Malcolm Gladwell), they are ubiquitous in the design world these days — see Flora Grubb’s vertical succulent wall — but they are the lazy man’s trend. The water-retaining plants are for the black thumbed decorators; to kill your hen and chicks is a feat. Furry, flat-footed Uggs are for the sluggish in a literal sense. But they’re also lazy in that they’re an easy fashion: they say nothing of personal style and there’s nothing complex about them. That said, a potted succulent won’t give your Russian Hill apartment much depth or je ne sais quoi. But if you buy yours from FLIPP: Fashionable Living in Petite Places (1400 Green at Polk) in a glossy orange cachepot, at least it will have flash.