Crassula tetragona are drought tolerant plants that look a bit like pine branches with needles sticking out of the sides, or a green bottle brush. They are often used in bonsai pots to look like pine trees. In the ground, they grow up to 4 feet tall. They will branch out at the tips and can be used as a low, informal hedge. Its leaves, which look like fat pine needles, are about an inch long. Its color can vary from green to deep bluish green. They can bring full sun to light shade, love heat, and are easy to root and grow.

Like other Crassula, these grow well in dry gardens with other succulents and cacti. As houseplants, give them up to 6 hours a day of sun. They should also work well in bright indirect light. These perennials are drought tolerant and only need water about once a month. In summer they have wide, flat bouquets of flowers that make me think of Queen Anne’s Lace. The flowers are produced at the tips of its branches. The color of the flower can vary from white to yellow. Visit www.theGardenPages.com to view photos. Crassula is hardy to 40 degrees. In my garden they have survived light frosts. But all that water stored in their leaves and branches will freeze if they are exposed to cold temperatures for a long time.

Crassula is easily propagated by cuttings, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a lot of plants. These plants branch at the tips and can get a bit heavy at the top. Trim the top to create more succulents for your landscape. If you plant the cutting upward, it will continue to grow that way. If you place a cutting on its side, the cutting will develop roots along the branch and form several plants. In my garden, the dog sometimes throws some branches here and there. Those branches take root without my help, thank you. So little by little I am making larger groups of Crassula grow in the garden with no time or effort on my part, nice deal.

Xeriscaping with drought-tolerant cacti and succulents has become popular here in the arid Southwest. My crassula grows both in full sun and in the shade, in heavy, alkaline clay soil. They are poking around my cactus and their fluffy branches provide a nice contrast to the flat green cactus pads. They are watered once a month (if I remember correctly). They’re pretty, carefree, and always look green when everything else is fried. If you think you have a brown thumb, this is the plant for you!