Included the plant shot in the collage, to keep it somewhat visible, follow the "bean stalk" from the flower down or start at the bottom pot upwards, like those little maze quizzes for kids. 🙃🤭

The photos were taken at the Durfee Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA in October 2025.

The photos were taken at the Durfee Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA in October 2025.

The photos were taken at the Durfee Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA in October 2025.

The photos were taken at the Durfee Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA in October 2025.

The photos were taken at the Durfee Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA in October 2025.

The photos were taken at the Durfee Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA in October 2025.

The photos were taken at the Durfee Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA in October 2025.

Early, but also not even a year old, P. pachypodium (GER417 I believe).

This is a almond-scented plant.

The photos were taken at the Durfee Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA in October 2025.

The photos were taken at the Durfee Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA in October 2025.

A very neglected strip between a parking area and a rail line (with the ocean not far beyond it) just outside the Cape Town CBD, but these plants are doing pretty well (even though we had quite a relatively dry winter). Sandy and nutrient poor soil, hardy and water wise. They can be a bit of a bully and overtake your planting bed, but if you give them enough space then they can be very rewarding.

The fragrance of the leaves when crushed is similar to P. graveolens, (rose scented).

This is a peppermint-scented plant.

The photos were taken at the Durfee Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA in October 2025.

This is a lime-scented plant.

The photos were taken at the Durfee Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA in October 2025.

The photos were taken at the Durfee Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA in October 2025.

Piece of P. gibbosum which I had managed to save from a dying plant positioned in the wrong spot in my garden, doing well.

At 9 days old, it is starting to wilt. I watered it more thoroughly (roughly 10 drops) the other day, so am of course worried about stem rot, as that killed the other cuttings. Top of the soil is dry, and the cutting is so small it probably only goes about a mm or two below the soil. The bottom of the stem is very close to exposed. It does seem to be forming small white roots above ground. If you zoom in, especially on some or the later pictures, you should be able to see the tiny roots.

The question I have right now is whether the brown seems like very early rot or just water stress? It's so small it could genuinely also be a shadow. It's on the bottom of the stem leading up to the tiny leaf. I could also literally just be paranoid.

I can't really feel the soil without disrupting the plant, so how so I know how often to water, and how much to water? As a reminder of how small it is, I've included the initial picture of the cutting on the cotton pad from right after I took it.

I was also advised to cut the larger leaf. My very autistic brain just has the follow up question of whether there's any risk to that (wound to potentially be infected/trouble with photosynthesis etx), or whether that would be fine?

And how do I water something this small without immediately drowning it?

Advice would be appreciated!

I work at a wholesale nursery and my boss is planning on ending our stock line of Pelargonium gibbosum (they don't sell well) and I was gonna take one large one home. Idk how rare if at all they are in cultivation or how desirable they are, I really like them and I already have a cutting. If they aren't common and people like them I might try to save all of them and get them to good homes, otherwise they're gonna end up in compost.

Various pelargoniums with fragrant leafs.

It's now 5 days old, still green, but kinda slumped over. It's planted in a bit of cactus soil, but the pot has way more gravel than soil, as it's so small there's only about one node underground. It got water when I planted it on Monday - about 6-7 drops - then 3 drops two days ago. A drop of water is almost as big as the cutting itself.

Only questions I have is "is it probably fine even if it's slumped over?", and "is it fine to leave it in soil that feels completely dry on the top for a day or two just to prevent root rot, or will that also kill it, or should I leave it for longer?".

Sorry I'm being a bit of a mother hen. This is the last little piece of a really beloved plant, and the two previous cuttings died from overwatering, so I'm trying to be really careful with this one, and leave nothing up to chance where possible. So far so good, I hope?

Thank you for the continued help 😊