Cotyledon 'Happy Young Lady'

Scientific Name

Cotyledon 'Happy Young Lady'

Scientific Classification

Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Kalanchoideae
Genus: Cotyledon

Origin

Cotyledon 'Happy Young Lady' is a hybrid of unknown parentage.

Description

Cotyledon 'Happy Young Lady' is a beautiful, densely branched succulent with finger-like leaves on short fleshy stems. It can grow up to 12 inches (30 cm) tall. The leaves are grey-green to blue-green and have a powdery white coating and maroon wedge-shaped tips.

The showy coral flowers are bell-shaped and appear in clusters on tall, slender stalks in summer and fall.

Hardiness

USDA hardiness zones 9b to 11b: from 25 °F (−3.9 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).

How to Grow and Care

Cotyledons can be divided into two groups. One group consists of evergreen plants with a summer growing period. The other group comprises deciduous plants, splendidly magnificent with large, solid, fleshy stems. The second group grows during the winter and sheds its leaves during the summer.

These succulents require a free-draining, gritty mix and plenty of sunlight. If kept dry, they are tolerant of cool, frost-free conditions during the winter. Some require pruning to maintain an attractive shape. Cotyledons should be kept in a sunny position. Follow general succulent watering procedures. Be careful of overwatering when they are deciduous.

As succulents go, Cotyledons certainly are the rewarding garden and indoor subjects, practically independent of irrigation in all but full desert conditions. However, they cannot survive poor light or bad drainage in the wet.

Feed it once or twice during the growing season with a fertilizer specifically formulated for cacti and succulents (poor in nitrogen), including all micronutrients and trace elements diluted to 1/2 the strength recommended on the label.

Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Cotyledon.

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