Tom Thumb Crassula

Tom Thumb Crassula (Crassula rupestris 'Tom Thumb') is a miniature succulent that stacks tiny triangular leaves along wiry stems like beads on a string. It reaches only about 20cm tall and 30cm across, with small clusters of pink and white flowers in the cooler months. For a shallow bowl, a rockery pocket or a balcony pot it is about as close to unkillable as a plant gets.

Why you'll love it

• It stays genuinely small. At 20cm by 30cm and slow with it, this is one of the few succulents that will not outgrow a shallow bowl or a windowbox.
• Neglect suits it. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant, salt tolerant and happy in poor soil, so a forgotten pot in full sun is where it looks best.
• Flowers in the cool months. Small pink and white clusters open when most of the garden has stopped, sitting neatly above the stacked foliage.
• Free plants forever. Any broken stem strikes readily in dry mix, so one plant fills a row of pots within a year or two.

Where it works best

Pots and shallow bowls. Its small root system is perfectly suited to a wide, shallow container, alone or planted through a mixed succulent bowl.

Rockeries and gravel. Tuck it into a pocket between rocks or along a gravel edge, where sharp drainage and reflected heat both work in its favour.

Balconies, courtyards and edging. It suits hot, exposed, high rise balconies that cook other plants, and it makes a low edge along a path in a dry garden.

Growing Tom Thumb Crassula in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to very bright light. Colour and compactness both depend on it, and in shade the stems stretch and the plant loses its stacked look. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi arid gardens.

Soil. A free draining cactus and succulent mix, or potting mix opened up with coarse sand and grit. A drainage hole is essential. Poor soil is fine, wet soil is not.

Water. Soak it, tip out the saucer, then let the mix dry all the way through: roughly every two to three weeks from spring to autumn, monthly or less over winter. If a finger finds damp, wait.

Feed and frost. A half strength liquid feed once or twice over spring and summer is all it needs. It handles light frost only, so in cool temperate and frost prone gardens keep it in a pot and shift it under eaves for winter.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in one size, tube stock. That is a small young plant, a few stems rather than a full clump, and it is the honest starting point for a slow growing miniature succulent. Pot it into a 150mm to 200mm container and it will fill that within a season or two.

Few plants travel better. The leaves carry their own water, so it arrives in good order. Leave it dry and bright for a week before the first water. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read how to choose the right size pot before you plant it up.
• Browse the full succulent range for companions on the same schedule.
• See more rockery plants for gravel and dry gardens.
• Compare options in plants for balconies.

Common questions

How often should I water it?

Every two to three weeks in the warm months, monthly or less in winter, and only once the mix is dry right through. Soft, translucent leaves mean you are watering too often.

Can I grow it indoors?

Only on a very bright windowsill with direct sun for several hours. This is really an outdoor plant, and in an average room it stretches and loses its compact form.

Will it survive frost?

Light frost only. In cool temperate and inland frost prone gardens, grow it in a pot and move it under cover for the coldest months.