I do not have what some might refer to as a ‘green thumb.’

My one foray into keeping an Aloe vera plant alive resulted in said succulent having a rather shortened life span. Despite this small setback (which lasted about five years), I decided to bring home a new succulent and try again.

The new cute little plant looks like something out of a fantasy or science fiction novel, which, of course, is the main reason I decided it had to come home with me. (Also, it looked lonely, the only one of its kind, amongst the other succulents.)

Ever so satisfyingly, it’s called a Crassula ovata ‘Gollum’ and happens to be named after the character Gollum from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Out of all the succulents I could have chosen, this book lover just happened to pick a plant named after a literary character.

Here’s hoping my little ‘Gollum’ succulent will prove as resilient as the original Gollum….