I hope you ’ll have as much fun growingCrassulaplants as the botanists and breeders responsible for report the many unique varieties had naming them .
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Watch Ernst Boris Chain ? ‘ Gollum ? ’ Calico kitten ? ‘ E. T. Fingers ? ’ They ’re all here , if aCrassulais what you ’re after !
Photo via Alamy.
Most of the common and cultivar names for crassulas have a fate of reference , as do the plants themselves .
All are succulent with fleshy leaves that develop well in low humidness and bright light . And these feature a mountain chain of beautiful coloring material , like the variegated white and green calico kitten with its Battle of Magenta marking .
Many showcase singular bod in the foliage , include ‘ Gollum ’ with its green , fleshy “ fingers ” with what look like sucking cups on their ends , inspiring the soubriquet “ Shrek industrial plant . ”
In this roundup , we ’ve done some of the legwork for you to make it easier to get aCrassulathat will ferment well in your blank space and appeal to your sensibilities in the houseplant realm .
These selections are suitable for growing as houseplant and indoor / outdoor container specimen that enjoy the nice weather outdoors before overwintering within .
Or perhaps you might prefer one as a ground cover or boundary line plant if you ’re garden in the lovesome area where jade and otherCrassulaspecies can fly high outdoors year - round .
This is typically in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 to 11 , or once in a while in Zone 9 , depend on the variety . We ’ve outlined the specifics for you below .
You may get a kick out of the names and some of the strange shapes on fling with the cultivars described below , or you might lessen for the beauty of one of the species plants that we ’ve play up and end up add it to your succulent collecting .
Be certain to have fun when you make your picks !
Here are the mixed bag I ’ll highlight in our roundup of top picks for habitation nurseryman :
13 of the Best Types of Crassula
There ’s a lot of remarkably offbeat form as well as more classically attractive smell among the most reliably available metal money and cultivars from theCrassulagenus . Let ’s take a flavor !
1. Calico Kitten
So , the radiation diagram here is variegate but it only mistily resemble calico . And these plant do n’t purr , scratch , mew , or veil …
But this calico kitten , akaC. pellucidasubsp.marginalis‘Variegata , ’ is a cheery , cheering , colored pet of a plant , so perchance it ’s similar to a kitten after all .
The color , with variegate light green and emollient - colored leaves accented with magenta or abstruse pink , is unusual among succulents .
It ’s also one of the few dwarf crassulas , reaching a maximum of nine to 12 inch tall , even when it ’s grown outdoors in Zones 10 to 11 .
If the leave receive extra sunlight , beyond the recommended minimal four 60 minutes of full sun day by day outdoors or six hours of brilliant Inner Light inside , they may become stressed and the pink emphasis may deepen .
Another fun aspect of this mini - succulent is the structure of the leaves , which are meat - form and stacked on narrow stems .
These start grow up , but the weight unit of the leave eventually do the stems to turn away and trail from planter , or run out over the soil as a succulent land cover outdoors .
These diminutive , patterned genus Crassula are far simpler to incline than their kitten namesake . All they need is rich light and well - draining land , and to be go on out of freezing weather condition .
They procreate like cat-o'-nine-tails , too – but only if you desire scores more calico kittens around!Stem and leaf cutting are both easy to pass around , and far simpler to find house for than felines .
Calico Kitten
Two- and four - inch pots or bare roots plants areavailable from Succulents Box via Amazon .
2. E. T. Fingers
I would so jubilantly phone base if I thought there was an ‘ E. T. Fingers ’ waiting for me there .
Like ‘ Gollum , ’ another character of crassula with a name inspired by an amphibious - looking fancied character that we ’ll cover subsequently , this is potential a cultivar of theC. ovataspecies .
This hybrid features tubular gullible halt that constitute a small bush about three pes magniloquent outdoors in Zones 9 to 10 .
As a full - meter houseplant or when potted and overwintered indoors , it tends to top out at about 12 to 18 inches tall .
The “ fingertips ” look unusually like suck cup , and these grow a pinkish or red tincture in unmediated sunlight . The plants may produce clusters of small , white , wizard - shape blooms as well , though flowering is not coarse indoors .
This is a quirky conversation starter when planted in a full sun to part wraith delimitation or garden layer in appropriate climates .
Or , turn on your heart luminance for breathing in , and see if you ca n’t come up with a sentimental dish garden design that features ‘ E. T. Fingers , ’ with a figurine of the namesake fiber and perhaps some spear carrier like a telephone or bicycle figurine .
‘ E. T. Fingers ’
‘ E. T. Fingers ’ is available in one - gal mountain fromAltman Plants via Home Depot .
3. Golden Jade
Golden jadestone , orC. ovata‘Hummel ’s Sunset , ’ is one of the most vibrantly - colored genus Crassula on this list .
It has oval - shaped leaves about an in or two recollective that call on a tawny sensationalistic and have red tips when grown in full sunlight .
Like its more rough-cut jade - dark-green relative , which we ’ll get to in a bit , it will grow as high as six feet and produce bantam white flowers outdoors . mark that it is only cold hardy in Zones 11 and 12 .
tame as a houseplant year - daily round or overwinter indoors , it ’s unlikely to bloom , and will be given to reach a maximum summit of 18 to 36 inch .
The color alone makes it an likable succulent for land top plantings or make low hedges outdoors , or as a companion for darker - imbue succulents likemother of millionsor aloe in container gardens .
Golden Jade
A fully - rooted eight- to 10 - inch favourable jade is useable in a two - inch potfrom The Next Gardener , Inc. via Walmart .
4. Gollum
ThisC. ovatacultivar is far more precious than the creepy , scramble , heavy character from “ The Hobbit . ”
But ‘ Gollum ’ crassula does have tubular foliage that resemble the closed chain - hive up character ’s finger – though in fleeceable , not a sickly tan .
If you grow this odd - but - riveting genus Crassula in bright sunlight , it may also reinforce you by reddening up at the tips .
Outdoors , ‘ Gollum ’ can reach three base marvelous and circularise almost as wide . Container houseplant mostly attain a smaller mature stature , topping out at around 18 to 24 inches magniloquent with a spread of 12 to 18 inches .
Grown as a houseplant or yr - unit of ammunition outdoors , the prow will become thick and the tubes might twist into interesting shapes .
Some succulent collectors favor ‘ Gollum ’ forbonsai , while gardeners who can get this variety as an outdoor perennial in Zones 10 and 11 may want to employ it for earth cover or in rock music gardens .
It will produce modest clustering of pinkish or white blooms , but this is rarified indoors .
‘ Gollum ’
‘ Gollum ’ is available in one - gallon pile fromAltman Plants via Home Depot .
5. Lemon & Lime
As slaphappy as an afternoon spent sip on the clear , bubbly summertime sodas of my youth , ‘ Lemon & Lime , ’ aC. ovatacultivar ( sometimes bring up to mistakenly asC. obliqua ) , has refreshing colors on its two - inch leaf .
They ’re bright greenish with ivory and yellow stripes .
Grown in brighter sparkle , the leave may develop a pink tinge . And plant outdoors in Zone 9 or 10 , it may also bust into bloom with clusters of humble white or pinkish bloom in the winter .
‘ Lemon & Lime ’
Indoors , the variegation may not be as pronounced , but the colorful stripes complement darker green succulent likealoein a container garden . Artificial produce lightscan help to boost exposure .
‘ Lemon & Lime ’ is available in gal - size plastic nursery potsfrom Altman Plants via Home Depot .
6. Jade Plant
The most popularCrassulaspecies , this one goes by many names . You may screw it as the common jade plant , money tree diagram , orC. ovata .
It features stocky staunch that start growing in a refreshed green hue and become woody and dark-brown as the works gets old .
As it ages , jade begin to look like a miniature tree , which is a fun feature film for container gardens .
These plants can gain six foot tall when grow alfresco in the priming , and they ’re dauntless in zona 11 and 12 . More compact when rise as houseplants , or as indoor / outdoor potted succulent that overwinter in the sign , they ’ll arrive at about 18 to 30 column inch tall .
The fleshy leaves are duncish and ellipse - shaped , and they can reach an inch or more long . They tend to be jade green , but may develop a red tincture at the edges if they get enough light .
Money tree provide an unsloped focal point for a succulent assemblage develop in a single container , or a series of pots arranged in a clump .
Gardeners in appropriate climates can grow Graeco-Roman adulteress as a garden specimen or plant several as a grim hedgerow .
Jade will bloom outdoors in late declination if condition are ripe , with clusters of tiny , wiz - shaped , pink or white flowers bursting forth .
you may read more about growing and care for jade in our guidebook .
Do n’t confuse these with the industrial plant commonly known as “ dwarf jade ” that ’s often used in bonsai . Also love aselephant bush , this is another coinage entirely – Portulacaria afra .
Jade Plant
determine a money plant in a four - inch ceramic potavailable from Costa Farms via Home Depot .
7. Propeller Plant
This is one of the most recent additions to my personal succulent collection , but the shape of the leaves reminds me of the very first flight I embarked on long ago .
A teenage friend with a pilot light ’s license aviate us out from the airport in Williamsburg , Virginia . We bulk large over my neck of the woods , where I spotted my rooftop and the neighbor ’s Labrador - St. Bernard intermixture from the gentle wind .
The farewell of this succulent , akaC. perfoliatassp.falcataor airplane plant , are a few inches long , about an inch encompassing , and propeller - regulate . They acquire upright on fore that can reach two feet tall outdoors in zone 10 to 11 .
The color is a silver - green - hoary , resonant of the paint job on a Boeing Grey Wolf , a multi - mission public-service corporation chopper used by the U.S. Air Force . But the blooms on works grow out-of-doors careen the narrative to a different sort of fly .
These are a bright red - Orange River and waft a cinnamon scent that attracts pollinator .
This makes propellor plants a top choice for container garden position nearvegetable dapple , and it ’s a good natural selection to grow near mellow - traffic walk or outdoor kitchens , where people relaxing open air can savour the olfactory property .
Propeller Plant
Propeller plant are available in four - inch potsfrom Succulents Box via Amazon .
8. Ripple Jade
I love the way ripple jade ( C. arborescensssp.undulatifolia ) , a subspecies ofC. arborescensaka silver dollar bill jade , looks like a received money tree playing dress - up .
The one- to two - in ellipse farewell grow from hardy stem on a shrubby plant .
But they ’re ripply , resembling “ pink collar ” shirt - front ruffles from the 1970s or the lace jabots from the Gay Nineties of the nineteenth one C – only they ’re green - drab , not white or pastel .
They may benefit reddish edges in strong Dominicus , however .
Ripple hussy grows up to four foundation tall as a perennial in Zones 11 to 12 , appropriate for a low hedgerow or possibly ground cover out of doors . It rarely blooms in finish .
at heart , it reaches 12 to 18 inches tall and its benignant ruffles offer an eye - pleasing line to the straightforward edges ofC. ovata . try out them together in a container !
Ripple Jade
Ripple jade is useable in four - column inch containersfrom Home Depot .
9. Silver Dollar Jade
Like the Allman Brothers vocalizing “ Midnight Rider , ” if you ’ve got just one more smooth-spoken dollar , I certainly hope it ’s one of theseC. aborescensplants because it ’s so well-situated to make more – cuttings will rout easy if you pluck a few of their two- to three - inch folio .
Also bonk as silver or Chinese strumpet , or the African or Brazilian rubber plant , among other common names , you could protrude with one specimen of this species and end up with enough of the shrubby plants to create a six - foot - tall hedge in Zones 9 to 11a .
Outdoors , they may burst into white or pink flush in spring .
But there ’s nothing wrong with propagate the leaves to start smaller houseplant to swap or employment as wedding shower bath favour .
The plants do n’t get as tall indoors , possibly a couple of feet at most , and they are improbable to bloom inside . But the foliage is stunning enough on its own so you wo n’t escape the flowers .
I favor the nickname “ silver dollar ” for this plant , with its pear-shaped leaves that maturate almost vertical to the ground , resembling silvery coin .
In lineal sunshine outdoors , the silvery foliage may develop maroon edge . But either indoors or out , silver dollar sign jade is easy to care for and looks fantastic with other silvery or blue - green succulent .
I opine the piratical might like to call these “ piece of eight jade , ” but there ’s no need to slip if a friend owns one and they ’re uncoerced to share !
Silver Dollar Jade
Otherwise , silver dollar loose woman is useable in one - gallon potsfrom Altman Plants via Home Depot .
10. String of Buttons
If you generally think of buttons as useful implements on workplace shirts , or you aspire to master the skill in pressing electronic ones that ’s required if you ever want to seem on Jeopardy!,C. perforataoffers a refreshing change .
The uniform , heap leaves that form in rosettes on farsighted stem resemble a respectable , fancy textile button of fuzzy , light blue - green .
More like a button you ’d look up to on a fashion designer coat than the fussy , bantam ones that keep shirt collars buttoned down , these have an attractive triangular Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe .
Plants reach some eight to 12 column inch tall , with stems on mature plants spill over the sides of hang baskets placed out of doors , or near a shiny windowpane indoors . They ’ll also form a full , low - lying ground covering in Zones 10 and 11 .
Continuing the outerwear theme , like the pipage on a military jacket crown , the leaves sport mahogany bound if they ’re maturate in bright light .
These easy - care succulents will bloom in leap outdoors with bunch of minuscule pale yellow or pink flowers . adult indoors as houseplant , they wo n’t typically flower .
drawing string of Buttons
line up string of button plant available in four - column inch potsfrom Succulents Box via Walmart .
11. Tom Thumb
Many thick , small - space vegetable cultivar are named ‘ Tom Thumb , ’ admit varieties of lettuce , pea plant , and tomato .
As an indoor plant or part of anoutdoor succulent garden , this succinct cultivar , likely withC. rupestrisparentage has its own solicitation . Do n’t seek to exhaust it , though !
Hardy in Zones 10 to 11 , this ‘ Tom Thumb ’ grows eight to 12 inches tall . The stems are stacked with triangular , light greenish - gray leaves that are petite – under half an inch long .
Once the prow attain four or five inches in distance , they ’ll commence to twist under their own weight and spill attractively over the sides ofa hanging container , or drape over the ground in a garden plot .
When grown in ample sun outdoors or bright light inside , these succulents will develop brilliant red leaf margins that look to me like Tom Thumb has been enthusiastically snog Thumbelina right after an coating of lipstick .
Its flowers will never be the master selling point , but ‘ Tom Thumb ’ will create blank heyday from spring to midsummer if the growing conditions are right outside .
‘ Tom Thumb ’
ascertain four - column inch pots of ‘ Tom Thumb’available from The Next Gardener , Inc. via Walmart .
12. Watch Chain
My papa grew up die hard around as a Baltimore street tiddler in the 1930s , but he fixed and hoard a splendid survival of the fittest of gold and silver gray air hole watches when he had more money in maturity .
So I knowC. muscosais more tightly woven than the links on most watch chains , with its overlapping , bantam , lustrous fleeceable leaf stacked closely on four- to 12 - inch stems .
One of the succulent ’s alternate names is “ rattail , ” and mayhap this is a more fitting moniker since the tail end of these fauna are hairless , and often scaly .
But by any name , this is a charming , almost touchy , trail succulent that looks unspoiled in hanging baskets .
New growth extends upright at first , but once it hand about four inches long , the root start to flex under their own system of weights and cascade over the sides of tummy .
weigh growing watch chains with more erect , colored succulent likeflaming Katy kalanchoe .
Outdoors in Zones 9 to 11 , watch range of mountains may produce lily-livered - green prime in late autumn or winter , and they make an unusual ground cover version .
Watch Ernst Boris Chain
If it ’s high time you added a trailing specimen to your succulent collection , you’re able to find unsheathed root picket chain plant or buy one in a two - inch potfrom Succulents Depot via Walmart .
13. Worm Plant
I ’m into vermiculture , but I ’d still be horrified to see an actual worm in my compost bin that looked likeC. marnieriana , with its five- to nine - inch curved base stacked with heavy unripened disc - shaped leaves about three - quarter of an in wide .
In a container or in a rock music garden , though , louse plant is far-out but attractive . If you prefer , you may call it by its alias , jade necklace – I guess it would make a fun appurtenance for Mother Nature to wear on a little girl ’ night out .
The leaves might train red margins in sufficient light . And while the stem start their growth in an erect style , once they ’re three or four in long , they bend over a bit to create a trailing drug abuse .
That makes these one of my top choices for hanging succulent baskets , planted alone or with other succulents in completing colors .
originate in a garden bed or border in Zones 10 to 11 , where it is winter hardy , worm plant may produce an inflorescence with abstemious pink , star - shaped bloom in winter .
Worm Plant
Worm plants in are available in two - inch potsfrom The Next Gardener , Inc. via Walmart .
Amassing Crassulas Is a Delightful Pursuit!
I consider it a plus that the best - be intimate coinage in theCrassulagenus all have similar growing requirementswhile the many variety uncommitted can look so dissimilar from each other .
This offer plenty for gardener to choose from without having to memorize multiple plant profiles to keep each type salubrious .
And if you ’re looking for otherintriguing succulents for your home or garden , check out these roundups next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . production photos courtesy Altman Plants , Amazon , Costa Farms , Home Depot , the Next Gardener , Inc. , Succulents Box , Succulents Depot , and Walmart . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
About
Rose Kennedy
