Graptopetalum paraguayense

Graptopetalum paraguayense, Ghost Plant or Mother of Pearl Plant, is - despite the paraguayense epithet - native to northeast Mexico where it grows at high altitudes in free-draining substrates. A very easy plant to grow it is tolerant of sub-zero temperatures and is hardy in most parts of the UK providing it has a very well-drained substrate and is kept on the dry side during winter. In the shelter of a wall is a perfect location for it to create a low ground-covering mat or it can be tucked into the nooks of a wall where it will form an elegant dangling display.

The foliage changes colour depending on how and where it is grown. In partial shade its fleshy succulent leaves are a greyish blue or a pale grey-green and when grown in more sun the foliage becomes pinkish or pink-grey and often a more deeper pink-red. They have a pale waxy bloom that can give them an shiny opalescent quality.

Graptopetalum paraguayense has a growing habit similar to an Echeveria or a Pachyphytum with their rosettes elongating out on the end of its growing stem. They can be trimmed to keep a lower more compact habit or left to form long decumbent stems that will curve down the side of a pot in elegant eccentric shapes.