Crassula ovata 'Hummel's Sunset' - Golden Jade

'Hummel's Sunset' or Golden Jade (Crassula ovata): A superstar grower whether kept indoors as a potted plant or grown outside () as a dense, mounding shrub. Its glossy, ovate (egg-shaped) leaves sprout from thick, woody branches and turn golden yellow with red margins when grown in full sun.

'Hummel's Sunset' is a cultivar named for plant hybridizer . The Jade species is native to South Africa and Mozambique where it grows en masse on rocky slopes, though it's now also ubiquitous in the Southern California landscape. Indoor growing, small pots, and pruning will keep Golden Jade in a small, bonsai size.

Jade is a forgiving grower and makes a great choice for beginners and low light rooms, though it can revert back to green when unstressed by sun and heat. It has excellent resistance to pests, disease, deer, and neglect. Just give it a , protection from hard frost, and a deep watering when the soil is completely dry. Eventually, mature, outdoor shrubs do not need irrigation at all. You can even observe C. ovata shrink during droughts and swell when rehydrated. Jade reproduces readily from cuttings and produces dense clusters of white, star-shaped blossoms in the winter.

After trials by the Royal Horticultural Society, 'Hummel's Sunset' won the in 1993.

Crassula can show tiny white or black dots on their leaves. These are healthy, water-transferring pores called "" and not a sign of disease.