Not long ago I asked a plant lover why she didn’t grow succulents. Her answer: ‘’They’re just green, spiky things that all look alike.’’ No, they’re not. So this column is devoted to succulents with bold variegation that can light up windowsills as well as the landscape.
Take Hoya vines. My all-time favorite is Hoya kerrii ‘Variegata,’ known as sweetheart hoya and valentine hoya because of its fleshy, heart-shaped foliage. Those succulent leaves, held on thick, ropy stems, feature broad, creamy-white or yellow margins surrounding jade-green centers.
Mature vines display fragrant clusters of cream-and-pink blossoms in spring and summer. An epiphytic species from Southeast Asia that can climb more than 10 feet, sweetheart hoya is a slow-growing plant suitable for hanging baskets. Provide bright, indirect light, use potting soil formulated for cactus and allow it to dry out between irrigations. Propagate with stem cuttings.
Considerably more common — I’ve seen it sold in drugstores — is ‘Golden Hahnii,’ a dwarf, bright-yellow and light-green variety of Sansevieria hyacinthoides from Southeast Africa. Just 6 to 8 inches tall, this clumping, rhizomatous succulent thrives in bright, indirect light, though the full range of light intensities is tolerated. Its only vulnerability is sodden soil, so use a cactus potting medium, and water only when it dries out. Propagate by division.
Also popular is a variegated form of elephant tree (Portulacaria afra), also known as dwarf jade plant and rainbow bush. Though often described as slow growing, this shrubby succulent — up to 10 feet in nature and actually eaten by elephants — is a vigorous plant that produces new yellow-and-green foliage on red stems quite rapidly. Accordingly, elephant bush responds to occasional pruning without missing a beat. It requires the same conditions and care as the previous plants mentioned. Large specimens set on tables near east-facing windows look superb. Propagate with stem cuttings.
Very different from the preceding plants is the extremely spiny ‘Peppermint Candy’ variety of crown of thorns. Up to 3 feet tall outdoors, this red-stemmed plant with cream-and-green foliage grows slowly indoors, displaying small clusters of pinkish-red flowers intermittently year-round. An outstanding plant if you can provide bright light, ‘Peppermint Candy’ is trouble-free when grown in cactus soil and lightly fertilized (with a cactus formula) in spring and late summer. Irrigate only when the soil becomes dry. Propagate with stem cuttings allowed to dry for a day before planting.
Charles Reynolds, a Winter Haven resident, has an associate’s degree in horticulture and is a member of Garden Writers Association of America.