A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2003 Clay Rose

Hey all,
I'm new here but this looks like a cool community you have here.

I recently acquired a bunch of random but cool plants, and now I'm trying to learn about them so that I can be sure to care for them properly.

A lot of them I've been able to find information about online, but this one I have not.
It is called the Clay rose. Has anyone ever heard of a plant like this before?
Aside from a different shape/color of leaves it looks a lot like a jade plant, so I'm almost certain that it is a succulent, but that's all I can tell.
I can post a picture if that would help.
Thanks.

Hello Boxmonkey!
Interesting name....how did you come up with it?

Yea there are a lot of nice people here.
As you have probably already read I am a newbie to gardening and have no clue what that plant is but hopefully someone here will be able to help you. Feel free to chime in whenever you like!!!!!

A pix would be an excellent idea!

Catlover

Hi Boxmonkey,
I checked all of my books and couldn't find any reference to Clay roses. If you post a photo, I'm sure we can figure out what your plant is, and dig up a little information about it for you!

Hey Boxmonkey,

I've got to know how you came up with that name??

But we are a great "cyber community" as Papito
put it one time, we are a nice bunch of gardeners, who love to garden and solve mysteries, and chat and have a good time here.

Please get some pictures and we'll be
glad to take a peak at it!!!
We love a good mystery here!!

Weezie

I spent some time in the library today looking through plant encyclopedias and found nothing. I'm thinking that this must not be the real name of the plant.

Pictures are included below, but before we get to that I guess I'd better respond to the questions about my name. It's not as interesting as some of you might hope, but here goes. I've been using boxmonkey in various places on the internet for years now, and it stems from my fascination with monkeys, and a rather embarassing picture that my parents have of me half naked in a box.
Come to find out, boxmonkey is actually slang for someone who takes software out of boxes and installs it on PCs; that's actually not very far off from my job description, so I guess it works.

Anyway, here's the good stuff:
Picture 1

Picture 2

What do you make of it?

First, welcome to the garden helper BoxMonkey.
Now, you are right about your plant. It is a succulent and the care of it is much like jade plant. it is also called mother of thousands, piggyback plant, hens-n-chicks, cats-n-kittens, and probably a few others I haven't heard.
If you are anywhere near a zone 7 or 8, just don't let it freeze. if you get a freeze warning, or if the temps are due to go down into the 30's at all, bring it in.
It also doesn'tneed as much light as a jade, in fact, it growns well in partial shade. let it get relatively dry before you water it and new plants can be started from cuttings, fallen leaves, etc. a very easy plant to grow, and a beautiful one two. I have seen them as far north as Pennsylvania if they are protected from freezing.

Hey boxmonkey,
Got to hand it to you, that's quiet the name.
Thanks for the info on it!!

I posted to you and never noticed where you were from, My grannie and grampie used to live there every winter..... I never made it down there, but I remember my grannie liked it there.

We have several memebers from there,
Sheritoots, Tina Dunaway, and Containergirl
is one I can think of right this second.

Well, I sure don't know the plant, but I'll bet, either Bill, Will or Catlover will give it a guess, or maybe Nikkal, Papito or Carol?????????
Or Jiffy or Loz or flower, or the list goes on!!!

Weezie

Hi Monkey!
I immediately recognized your plant! In fact your "Ghost plant" was mentioned on here earlier today... Don't remember where though... Your plant is a Graptopetalum paraguayense Jiffy was correct with the care for it, but it enjoys full sun and will reward you with a beautiful pink hue when it is happily sunning itself. I always grew them as hanging plants, but in nature they grow on the ground and spread quite easily when given the chance.

You sure Bill this is the pix I have.

http://www.lapshin.org/succulent/gallery.htm
Guess you will have to click on the graptopetalum paraguayense.
I am going to keep looking!

Okay, Okay Bill you were right....I still have to double check. :rolleyes:
Okay here is a better pix.
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/plants/Crassulaceae/Graptopetalum_parag.html

I have to say boxmonkey yours looks better than these pix.

I'm 99% sure this thing is in fact a ghost plant.

Plants database

Thanks a lot, you guys are awesome!

Unfortunately I am still learning so I won't be able to contribute much to this forum other than questions.

Boxmonkey,
Any questions no matter how small or trivial you think they are, are helping everyone along the way. Don't hestitate to ask, other's are peaking in on the answers!!! And we have a fun time helping!!! Really!!!
And feel free to come and join the Banter Hall
where we do our chit~chatting and if you have any hobbies, or things you like to do we added that, to help us garden junkies get through the winter. Or post your weather conditions in the Gardeners Chat, we like to hear how our members are doing..
Blizzards, Hurricane's, etc. Join the fun!!
Weezie

Thanks weezie, I'll look around.

Maybe I'll post about all the plants I have right now, I don't know how to take care of half of them yet anyway...

Oops, it looks like this post should have been in the mystery plants section, I didn't notice that before.

We love the Mystery section here.
See who gets it first!!

How did you aquire all of your plants/??

Are they all house plants???

We have our Master Guru Head Honcho~Bill that is the head of the site, that helps in solving of mysteries and care for all plants.........
We have a resident House plant specialist,
Will Creed that answers in the house plant section,
And alot of us that go bonkers to solve What the heck is it, anyways!!!
So, send us your questions, we may not have ALL the anwser's but we'll have a good time tryin'
Glad to have you on board!!!
Weezie

I recently went to a botanical garden and they were raising money by selling some of their plants (for really cheap), so that's how I got a bunch of these.
None of my plants are house plants because my apartment does not get enough natural light anywhere to keep them inside.

Boxmonkey (interesting name),
I lived and worked in the Gainesville area for a time...but am now living and working back in Iowa...what botanical garden did you go to there to find these plants? Just curious.

Eek, FL to IA? Now that's not a move you'd be able to get me to make, ever.

I was at the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, have you ever been there? I'm thinking about getting a membership.

Well, I didn't think I would make that move either, but my first Grandson moved back here with his Mom....so I couldn't stay away. I intend to move back to that area some day because I love it there! Not too hot, and a very brief (but sometimes chilly) winter. Perfect for my taste!! Where is the Kanapaha Botanical Garden...is it in Gainesville?