A Top Succulent

BOTANICAL NAME: Crassula ovata
COMMON NAME:  Dollar plant or Jade plant

DESCRIPTION: 

Stoutly built evergreen shrubs with thick stems and branches, clothed in coin-shaped fleshy leaves.  The foliage is usually bright green, often with red margins in winter.  Many selected clones or hybrids are cultivated with golden or variegated leaves.  Pale pink flowers in tight rounded clusters are produced early in winter.  Mature specimens can grow to 1.5 metres or more tall, with a similar spread.

CULTURAL INFORMATION:

Versatile and adaptable, these tough plants grow in sun or shade and are often used as indoor plants.  They perform best when in full sun.  They need well-drained soil, especially when planted in pots.  They can endure long periods of drought and can withstand light to moderate winter frost.  Feed them with a 3:1:6 water-soluble plant food every 4 to 6 weeks for optimum growth.  Prune back to keep the plants in shape.

GARDEN USES:

Crassula ovata are perfect specimen shrubs for succulent and aloe gardens.  They are good for rock gardens or hot, dry banks.  They make statuesque pot specimens and are often grown as indoor house plants in brightly lit rooms.  Some of the low growing dwarf forms make good groundcover plants.