showy stonecrop // iceplant

order: saxifragales
family: crassulaceae
genus: hylotelephium
species: spectabile

stem cutting.

Showy stonecrop is also known as iceplant. I started this plant from a stem cutting. First I cut off the blooms at the terminal of the stem, defoliated the lower part and let it sit in a glass of water with at least two nodes below water surface. After about two weeks or so, new shoots emerged from the nodes, each extending their aerial roots towards the water. At this point, I transplanted the entire family in a pot of soil. The parent stem slowly shrank and dried up, leaving the orphans behind.

Currently these kids are doing fine. The soil they grow in is somewhat soggy, because I use the pot for propagation purpose. They don't seem to have any problem with that at all. The kids have leaves that are a lot smaller than an adult plant, which makes them very adorable. The pot is placed 2 m away from the window in my very bright room. I can see them growing in the direction of light.

baby plants detached from the mother stem growing together with cuttings of other plants in a 13-cm pot.

baby plants have leaves that are a lot smaller.

planted out in garden in spring.

panicles of flowers appeared in early august 2012.

bright pink flowers fully open september 2012.