Variegated Jade Plant
Crassula ovata 'Variegata'
Height: 4 feet
Spread: 4 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 9b
Other Names: Money Plant, Dollar Plant
Description:
An elegantly branched shrub with attractive green foliage striped in ivory and pale yellow; pinkish-white flower clusters in late winter; very slow growing; an excellent choice for containers and rock gardens
Ornamental Features
Variegated Jade Plant features showy clusters of white star-shaped flowers with pink overtones at the ends of the branches from late winter to early spring. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive green foliage with white stripes and tinges of buttery yellow. The succulent round leaves are highly ornamental and remain green throughout the winter. The smooth khaki (brownish-green) bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.
Landscape Attributes
Variegated Jade Plant is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Variegated Jade Plant is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Planting & Growing
Variegated Jade Plant will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 15 years.
This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
Variegated Jade Plant makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
