Succulent Spoon Jade CRASSULA PORTULACEA: Drought Tolerant Plants for Dry Gardens or Blooming Houseplants

  Succulents are great choices for dry gardens. These plants are easy to grow in hot dry areas and also make great houseplants. Their care is similar to cactus (without the thorns). One of my favorite succulents is named Crassula Portulacea, commonly called Horseshoe or Spoon Jade. Recently they've been called Gollum Fingers or Hobbit Plant because their dark green leaves look like fingers with reddish tips. These plants can take full sun to light shade. They are happy indoors or outdoors.

Water wise succulent plants like heat and sun whether you grow them indoors or in the yard. They are just as easy to care for as their cousin, crassula ovata. Both plants can take up to 6 hours of sun a day. If they develop yellow or brown spots on the leaves, it is either stress or sunburn. If they are in a pot, try moving it to an area with less sun. If they're outdoors, try giving them a nice soak and they should perk up. Grown in pots they will remain small and are often used for bonsai. They will grow slowly and can be trimmed into the shape of trees. In the ground they will eventually reach a height of 4 to 5 feet tall. Older plants take on an otherworldly, gnarled look. Visit my website www.theGardenPages.com to see photos.

I love succulents because they are easy to grow and care free. They are great if you don't have time to fuss over a plant. Crassula happily oblige and even produce blooms in later winter. This increases their value as a landscape plant in my book as winter blooming plants are uncommon. They produce flower clusters that look like tiny bouquets of daisies. Bloom color can range from light to dark pink, some have a salmon or coral tint. The plant I started as a small cutting two years ago is blooming for the first time this year. Established plants should bloom reliably each year.

They are called succulent plants because they store their water in their trunks and leaves. This allows them to get by with little water. All that stored water can make them susceptible to rot if they sit in a pool of wet dirt. Let the soil dry out between watering to keep them happy. Crassula are best grown in USDA Zones 9b – 11. Every year, mine are able to take a light frost for a few hours. But I'd give them overhead protection in winter if you are in a cold area.

Xeriscaping with drought tolerant cactus and succulents has become popular out here in the southwest where we sometimes have water rationing and shortages. I’ve got a little corner of the garden which I’d like to look like an underwater grotto. That's a tall order here in Los Angeles we don’t get a lot of rain, so I’m planting it with succulents. I think Neptune would be proud. These succulents add a dramatic touch and look like some sort of sea plant or coral to me. Crassula are and easy and reliable addition to any water wise garden.


About the author:
Laura Zinkan is a busy single mom with a very small yard in southern California so she expects a lot out of her plants. Laura cultivates a gardening website at http://www.theGardenPages.comwhere you can read more gardening tips and lore about succulents and native plants, see photos and art, even download plant wallpapers. Laura also tends a site called http://www.AngelCityArt.comwhere you can share her vision of Los Angeles and California with photos and essays.

 Laura Zinkan

More Articles 

Radiant Heating System: A Comprehensive Overview - Team Content
To make your home more warm and comfortable during the harsh winter months make use of radiant heating system! This modern day invention makes those wet and icy winter days spent at home/office much more enjoyable and manageable with its unique...

How To Use Biennials & Perennials In Landscaping Your Garden - Paul Curran
Biennials Biennials are generally very beautiful plants, with most attractive flowers. They are somewhat more trouble for the gardener, since they keep growing during their first year and do not bloom until the second. Their great advantage...

Watching Your Children’s Garden Grow - Rondi Hillstrom Davis
Start some gardening traditions with your kids. Give them their own garden patch and a spot to dig. Children love getting their hands dirty and watching things grow. Be sure to buy good quality, child sized gardening tools. Plastic toy versions...

Rustic Accessories the New Buzz in Home Decor - ARA Content
(ARA) - As the cooler seasons draw closer, thoughts and activities drift slowly from the outdoors to the inside, and the annual human version of hibernation begins. We re-acclimate to shorter days and longer, colder nights. There is a sense...

Outdoor Living Spaces Extend Your Livable Space And Delight The Senses. - Amy Snyder
What started out as a yard in the great American dream has evolved into an outdoor living space, encompassing dining areas, living rooms and even play areas that go way beyond the swingsets of the 1950’s. These spaces extend the livable area of...

Autumn Wreaths Mark The Season - Dawn Keadic
Wreaths are sometimes thought of as a Christmas-only decoration. This is a short-sighted view, as a beautiful wreath can be used to decorate a home for any season. Wreaths made to celebrate the autumn months can be very attractive home...

A Look at Picnic Gift Baskets - - Kristy Annely
Picnic gift baskets are a great gift for just about anybody who likes the outdoors and who likes to eat. Most people enjoy the idea of picnicking, but haven’t invested in the supplies to be able to do so. You can personally add some extra...

The Advantages Of Using Teak Furniture - Napton Teaks
Teak is truly a “super” wood. Its many qualities make it an attractive choice when people are buying their furniture, for either inside or outside. Durability Teak is a dense, coarse, close-grained hardwood. It contains naturally high levels of...

Gazebo or Sunroom? Top 3 questions you need to ask - Dion Semeniuk
Gazebo or Sunroom? Top 3 Questions you need to ask. Having a gazebo or sunroom in the backyard is an excellent way to enhance the appearance while providing you with a quiet place to sit and relax after a hard day at work. Gazebos and...

Funky, Fun Garden Plants - Valerie Garner
I have a love for funky, fun and uniquegarden plants. Here's one to try.It's called Sea Holly, and it's actually in thethistle family. Sea Holly is a perennial garden plant, which means you plant it once and it comes up year after year, somewhat...

Asthma Friendly Gardens - Thomas Leo Ogren
Asthma Friendly Gardens Tom Ogren Recent studies have shown that babies born to mothers who were exposed to high levels of pollen in their last trimester of pregnancy have a much greater chance of developing asthma. One of the main keys with...

Homemade Hummingbird Nectar - George Steiner
We love hummingbirds and love to watch them throughout the day, especially after a long day, relaxing in our backyard nature retreat. We have 4 feeders that are strategically located throughout our gardens. The red, hummingbird nectar feeders (...