Plant of the Month July 2024: String of Buttons (Crassula perforata)

Every July, I reveal a bit of my own personal bias by covering one of my favorite succulents and this year is no different. Our Plant of the Month is none other the beautiful Crassula perforata, better known as String of Buttons. Native to South Africa, this succulent is known for its unique appearance due to the spiral of triangular/square shaped leaves along its stems. Each button-like petal grows stacked on top of one another to create a succulent string. Most varieties of String of Buttons are a cool-toned green, however some will have pink, red or even rainbow colored edges along the leaves such as Crassula perforata variegata. Other varieties like the Crassula perforata 'Ivory Towers', have larger and more vibrant colored petals.

String of Buttons can also grow flowers under the right conditions. You can get them to bloom between November and April by diluting houseplant fertilizer to half-strength and keeping temperatures around 75 degrees (Fahrenheit). With that said, unfortunately it’ll be very tricky to get them to flower indoors if you’re living in New Jersey year round. When String of Buttons does bloom, it grows small white/cream flowers from its tips in little clusters. And while I can’t quite verify the validity of this claim, according to a few things I’ve seen on reddit, the flowers although very cute, smell like stinky cheese and feet! So maybe don’t give them a good whiff.

String of Buttons (Crassula perforata) needs the following care:

Light ☀️ Full Sun

Water 💧Only when soil is completely dry. Do not overwater.

Grow 🌱 This is not a cold hardy plant. For best results avoid temperatures below 40 F.