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This plant is hardy and vigorous with striking large leaves and can be grown for ornamental purposes as well as for culinary use. Either way, a few roots will last a lifetime.

In my zone, this plant freezes to the ground but dead, mushy leaves can be removed and area covered over with a thick mulch ... it then reappears late the following Spring.

Vines die after a frost or freeze but tubers can be lifted and stored for planting again in the spring.

Jade plant is easy to root from stem cuttings or from stem pieces that have broken off, as well as from the leaves. Allow stem pieces to dry before inserting in rooting medium or succulent soil. With leaves, lay them on top of moist soil until they develop roots and grow plantlets.

HBV begins to bloom mid-summer and produces many seed pods by late Fall. Seeds are numerous and easy to dry and save.

Soak seeds overnight before planting to speed up germination.

A sturdy houseplant and good for low-light conditions but likes a little brighter light or leaves will become narrow. Does not like low humidity and appreciates occasional misting if indoor air is dry. Leaf tips will turn brown if plant is kept too dry. These plants will survive in temps above 50º but prefer mid-70s to lower 80º. They are sensitive to fluoride so use non-fluoridated water and flush pot occasionally to remove salts in order to prevent marring and spotting of the leaves.

Plants are very easy to root from tip cuttings stuck into warm soil.

The rosettes of this large, bushy cultivar are most colorful in the summer when they become variegated and often flushed with pink. Variegation may disappear temporarily in winter. They can tolerate some dry cold but will rot in cold, damp conditions.

Opuntia humifusa, the hardy Prickly Pear, is native to the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. It is easy to grow, rooting readily from pads stuck in the ground or just lying on top of the soil.

Opuntias are very popular as a food in many parts of the world. The pads, called nopales, are a popular vegetable in Mexico and Central America. They are usually cooked but can be eaten raw, tasting a little like green beans.

The spines of this plant are sharp enough but be especially careful of the glochids, those tiny hairlike bristles that occur in little tufts on the pads. They are barbed and treacherous and difficult to remove!

In good summer light, tall spikes of pale green flowers and orange berries appear. This plant grows best in a small pot.

To avoid risk of rot, do not over-water plants early in the year. Plants start growing in late spring or early summer and go dormant after flowering.

These sun-loving plants are best kept dry in winter. They hybridize freely in the wild.

These plants make fairly dependable houseplants that can withstand dry conditions. Do not keep them wet. They make an excellent choice for hanging baskets.

As with other Euphorbias, E. milii requires a slightly richer soil than do many succulents. They make good houseplants and are not bothered by low humidity. They also grow well under artificial lights.

A relatively cold-hardy Euphorbia. They bloom profusely in the spring and are fairly easy to grow. E. rigida suckers easily.

Very easy to propagate, but beware if you plant it in the ground. In a favorable climate, E. tirucalli can grow very large and spread quickly. The plant is then prone to breaking and falling apart in the wind and can make a colossal mess in a garden.

A rarely cultivated plant, E. magnicapsula is not very cold hardy and is easily damaged by frost or even slightly cold weather.

Euphorbia lactea is sometimes confused with Euphorbia trigona. Once the plants begin to establish some size, the difference becomes more obvious. New growth on E. lactea develops as a open branching habit much like a tree or resembling elkhorns as its common name suggests. New E. trigona stems emerge from the ground in strongly vertical form and closely adjacent to each other.

The Euphorbia obesa is subglobulose in shape when young and elongates as it gets older becoming a column rather than a sphere. Thus it cannot always be identified by its round shape.

It likes sun and can be grown outdoors where frost is not too severe. Good drainage is essential. Water sparingly during the summer months and keep dry in winter.

E. obesa is a slow-growing, long-lived plant. Once established, it will be content to stay where it is for years. It can tolerate moderate shade. Sudden moves from shade into the sunlight should be avoided in order to prevent scorching.

The plant usually has 8 ribs that are vertical, broad, slightly raised with shallow furrows in between. However, the number of ribs tends to increase as the plant gets older (plants with up to ten ribs have been reported). The top of the ribs have tiny brown tubercles in a single series.

This is a colorful and compact spreading Euphorbia. Both the flowers and the foliage are variegated. The flowers are a combination of cream and lime green; the foliage is cream with blue-green and the reverse is a pink or red. In the cooler months the foliage flushes even more red. Tolerant of heat and drought.

Very attractive four-sided columnar Euphorbia. Variegated with striped markings.