Don't confuse it with Crassula ovata: the red flexible stems and small paired leaves are the tell. It grows and forgives faster than the jade plant, which makes it a good first succulent to practise pruning on.
Care
Bright light all year, with some direct sun. It tolerates less light than most succulents but pays for it with soft growth.
Water when the mix is dry through in spring and summer, and very sparingly in winter.
Free-draining gritty mix. Unlike the true jade plant it has thin, flexible red stems and small leaves, and it makes a far better subject for informal bonsai and for pinching into shape.
The one succulent here that genuinely enjoys being cut. Pinch or prune at any point in the growing season to build a dense branching shape, and every piece removed is a cutting. Hard renovation in spring is well tolerated.
A half-strength feed two or three times across the growing season, which is more than most succulents want — it is a faster grower and takes it without going soft, especially if it is being pruned regularly.
Take a stem cutting of any length, strip the lower leaves, let it callus for a couple of days and push it into gritty mix. It roots so reliably that prunings are worth potting up rather than composting.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- AprilStart pinching the growing tips to build a branched, dense shape. how ›
- AprilHalf-strength feed as growth resumes. how ›
- JunePot up the prunings as cuttings; they root almost without fail. how ›
- JuneOutside for the summer in a sheltered bright spot, hardened off first. how ›
- SeptemberRepot every second or third year into fresh gritty mix, ideally now. how ›
- OctoberBring indoors before the first frost — it is the least cold-tolerant plant on this list. how ›
- DecemberWater very sparingly; leaf drop in winter is nearly always too much water, not too little. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilStart pinching the growing tips to build a branched, dense shape. how ›
- AprilHalf-strength feed as growth resumes. how ›
- JunePot up the prunings as cuttings; they root almost without fail. how ›
- JuneOutside for the summer in a sheltered bright spot, hardened off first. how ›
- SeptemberRepot every second or third year into fresh gritty mix, ideally now. how ›
- OctoberBring indoors before the first frost — it is the least cold-tolerant plant on this list. how ›
- DecemberWater very sparingly; leaf drop in winter is nearly always too much water, not too little. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchStart pinching the growing tips to build a branched, dense shape. how ›
- MarchHalf-strength feed as growth resumes. how ›
- JunePot up the prunings as cuttings; they root almost without fail. how ›
- JuneOutside for the summer in a sheltered bright spot, hardened off first. how ›
- SeptemberRepot every second or third year into fresh gritty mix, ideally now. how ›
- NovemberBring indoors before the first frost — it is the least cold-tolerant plant on this list. how ›
- DecemberWater very sparingly; leaf drop in winter is nearly always too much water, not too little. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchStart pinching the growing tips to build a branched, dense shape. how ›
- MarchHalf-strength feed as growth resumes. how ›
- JunePot up the prunings as cuttings; they root almost without fail. how ›
- JuneOutside for the summer in a sheltered bright spot, hardened off first. how ›
- OctoberRepot every second or third year into fresh gritty mix, ideally now. how ›
- NovemberBring indoors before the first frost — it is the least cold-tolerant plant on this list. how ›
- DecemberWater very sparingly; leaf drop in winter is nearly always too much water, not too little. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Sudden loss of leaves, often after a move or a cold night.
What to do. Usually shock or overwatering. Keep it warmer and drier and it releafs from the stems.
How to spot it. Long internodes and floppy stems in winter.
What to do. More light and less water; pinch back in spring to restore the shape.
How to spot it. Cottony white in the leaf axils.
What to do. Alcohol on a cotton bud; isolate new plants before mixing them in.
Popular varieties
Questions
Elephant bush: is it hardy?
H1b: Tender, needs above 10°C. It survives above 10 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Yes, and it is one of the best succulents for a shallow bonsai pan, since it branches freely and responds to pinching.
Elephant bush: when do you prune it?
The one succulent here that genuinely enjoys being cut. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in April.
When do you feed it?
A half-strength feed two or three times across the growing season, which is more than most succulents want — it is a faster grower and takes it without going soft, especially if it is being pruned regularly. Feeding months, UK: April, June, August.