String Of Pearls

String of pearls plants are unique vining succulents that are easily recognizable by their almost spherical, tiny pea-shaped leaves. The leaves grow on trailing stems that gracefully spill over the sides of planters and hanging baskets. You can use these stems to propagate the plant, which is a very robust and quick grower but does not live long without propagation.

Though normally cultivated year-round as a hanging plant, in its natural habitat the string of pearls is terrestrial and forms a ground cover. In addition to its peculiar sphere-like leaves, the string of pearls produces white flowers in spring with a pleasant scent reminiscent of cinnamon (though it rarely flowers indoors).

The string of pearls plant is not particular about its conditions. Given enough light and fertilizer, it will grow quite vigorously in a season. A single plant will survive for about five years if properly cared for, but if you propagate new plants from stem cuttings, you can effectively keep it alive indefinitely. Its stems can also be twined together, and you can also grow it in a dish, allowing it to form a terrestrial mat the way it does in the wild. String of pearls has no major pest or disease problems, and it doesn’t require much care. It does, however, need plenty of light all year.