The illustrated growing guide

Jade Plant

Crassula ovata

Family Crassulaceae

Est. zones 10-11

Botanical illustration of Jade Plant
Succulent · Crassula ovata

A pass-down-generations plant — jades outlive their owners' apartments. Red-edged leaves mean happy, sun-touched growth.

SucculentBright light with some direct sunLow waterSlow growthNone winter chill

Where to buy the plant — 2 nurseries

Jade Plant — a print from the Houseplants Vol. 1 collection

From the print shop

Growing jade plant? Hang it.

Our Houseplants Vol. 1 collection carries jade plantCrassula ovata, print Nº 14, “Jade Plant.”

16 designsfrom $21.99white or black groundmatte poster, unframed

Shop Houseplants Vol. 1 botanical prints →

I

Overview

Will jade plant suit your garden, and what goes wrong.

Will it thrive where you are?

Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what jade plant actually needs.

Hardy inZones 10-11
Winter chillNone

Jade Plant at a glance

HardinessUSDA 10–11
Mature size1-3 ft (decades to tree form)
PollinationN/A
Chill requirementNone (not chill-dependent)
Bloom seasonStarry white-pink in winter (mature plants, cool + dry)
Harvest seasonNot yet established
Growth rateSlow

Common jade plant problems

II

Growing

Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.

How to grow jade plant: light, water & soil

LightBright light with some direct sun
WaterLow — wrinkled leaves say water; drop leaves say drowning
SoilCactus mix, unglazed pot helps · pH 6.0 - 7.0
FertilizerMonthly half-strength spring-summer
PruningSpring — Pinch to shape; every pruned piece propagates.
SpacingOne per pot

How to plant & propagate jade plant

PropagateStem/leaf cuttings, division, or pups

III

The year

What jade plant asks for, month by month.

The jade plant year, month by month

MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Bloom
Prune

What each band means

  • Bloomflowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
  • Pruneshape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.

The jade plant year as text

  • Jan bloom
  • Feb bloom
  • Mar pruning
  • Apr pruning
  • May pruning
  • Jun quiet month
  • Jul quiet month
  • Aug quiet month
  • Sep quiet month
  • Oct quiet month
  • Nov quiet month
  • Dec bloom

These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.

IV

Ecology & uses

What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.

Jade Plant in the garden system

MoistureUpland / dry
DeerBrowsed — protect young plants
OriginIntroduced

What jade plant is grown for

! Some parts toxic — see notesToxic to cats/dogs

UseHeirloom bonsai feel
UseSunny sills

Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.

V

Cultivars

Named varieties of jade plant, ruled as a catalogue.

Best jade plant varieties & cultivars

'Gollum' (tubular leaves); 'Hummel's Sunset' (gold edges); standard

VI

Sources & plant ID

Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.

Research basis

Sources behind this profile

No extension citations are attached to jade plantyet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.

Plant ID

BinomialCrassula ovata
FamilyCrassulaceae
TypeSucculent · Perennial
USDA symbolCROV3
OriginIntroduced
Invasive riskLow

VII

Where to buy

Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.

Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.

Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

VIII

Questions

Jade Plant questions, answered straight.

Is jade plant safe for kids and pets?

With care. Toxic to cats/dogs Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.

How do you propagate jade plant?

Stem/leaf cuttings, division, or pups.

IX

Elsewhere

Where jade plant sits in the library.

Where jade plant sits in the library

Grows in the same world