Plant Guide

Other Names:  Kleinia stapeliiformis, Spider Plant, Candle Plant

Description:

An interesting and beautiful succulent variety producing silver-gray, finger like foliage, patterned with dark green, striped ovals, resembling pickles; a perfect contrast accent in rock gardens, containers, or massed as groundcover

Ornamental Features

Pickle Plant's attractive succulent narrow leaves emerge light green in spring, turning grayish green in color with showy dark green variegation and tinges of silver the rest of the year on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth. It features dainty clusters of red star-shaped flowers with orange overtones held atop the stems in mid summer.

Landscape Attributes

Pickle Plant is an herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and usually looks its best without pruning, although it will tolerate pruning. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Pickle Plant is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Pickle Plant will grow to be about 10 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. Although it's not a true annual, this plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.

Pickle Plant is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.