Sedum Little Missy Plants Care Guide for Beginners

Little Missy plants are wonderful little succulents that form a dense mat of leaves in little rosette patterns. They are perfect indoors or outside, because Little Missy are:

• low – maintenance succulents that are perfect for novice or time-poor gardeners,
• drought hardy plants that are perfect to fill those hard to grow spaces in your garden, and
• simple to propagate with their aerial roots.

Welcome to today’s feature plant at the Garden Bench Top – the Sedum Little Missy Plant.

We’re going to let you in on a little secret – we have a special place for these delightful little succulents. We actually have them growing everywhere in our garden.

They make perfect ground cover over the garden beds. And not only do they look great, but they act like a natural mulch over the soil, to help maintain moisture levels for our mature plants.

In this care guide, we’re going to share our experiences with the gorgeous Little Missy. We’ll dive into the origins, take a look at their preferences in terms of environment, and even look at how to propagate them (spoiler alert – it is really easy!).

So if you are ready to get as excited about the Little Missy plant as we are, then grab a coffee and let’s go!

Sedum Little Missy Plant: Perfect Succulent Ground Cover

Okay, if you haven’t already gathered, we are a little excited (or maybe A LOT) about the Little Missy plant. But, before we jump into the care instructions, let’s sit down with Little Missy and get to know it a bit better.

Origin

The Sedum Little Missy plant originates from the African continent. It is native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa, which is the coldest part of the region. The temperature range along the Eastern Cape varies from 45 – 78° Fahrenheit (7 – 26° Celcius). You will find the Sedum Little Missy living in mostly dry, arid environments amongst rocks and sandy soil.

To be honest, it is probably the vast temperature range of the Easter Cape of South Africa that has gifted the Little Missy with its hardy and adaptable nature.

Appearance

If you were to look at the Sedum Little Missy plant from afar, you wouldn’t think much of it. Especially when planted en masse. It simply appears to be a big light green clump or mat covering the ground.

But, the charm of the Little Missy plant becomes apparent as you bend down for a closer inspection. You will discover delicate little heart – shaped leaves colored apple green. In most varieties, you will also witness beautiful variegated patterns, with a cream to off-white outlining each leaf.

What is interesting about the coloration of the Little Missy is that at different times of the year, the leaves will change color. During the hotter periods, the outlines of the leaves can turn a shade of pinkish red. As beautiful as it is to witness, it generally means the plant requires watering.

During the summer months, you will see the succulent producing miniature bunches of light pink flowers with vibrant magenta buds. Even though the flowers are tiny, they are no less spectacular when you see the entire plant become a sea of light pink and magenta flowers.

Name Guide

Sedum ‘Little Missy‘ is the botanical name for this particular plant variety from the Sedum genus. They can sometimes be referred to as Stonecrop ‘Little Missy’, possibly because they are often found amongst rocks in their natural environment?

A quick note to say that the Sedum Little Missy often gets mislabeled as the Crassula Little Missy (or vice versa). Although there are very similar characteristics between the two plants, they are different. Refer to our FAQ section below for a more detailed comparison between the two.

Little Missy Plant Care Instructions

It’s now time to learn the important husbandry responsibilities for keeping these beautiful little succulents.

Those who are familiar with our plant care guides will know that we place a lot of emphasis on understanding the plants’ origins. We like to draw on this knowledge and bring it into how we care for our plants.

We know the Little Missy plants originate from climates that can vary a lot in temperature, and moisture levels. This will help us adjust our watering schedule as well as assist us to find the perfect position for them in our gardens and homes.

So with that in mind, let’s get into the specifics.

Lighting

Sedum Little Missy plants prefer full sun. They can tolerate a bit of shade, but they will benefit from decent exposure to direct sunlight for a good portion of the day.

This isn’t surprising, given they are a succulent that originates in a semi-arid climate.

If you notice your Little Missy’s growth becoming stunted, try to relocate it to a position that receives more sunlight.

Temperature & Humidity

When it comes to the preferred temperature range, try to keep your Little Missy plants between 60-75° Fahrenheit (15-24° Celcius). They can survive in lower temperatures, but they will not thrive, and their growth will be stunted.

If your area is prone to frost, we recommend bringing your Little Missy plants inside to avoid becoming frost-bitten. Especially, because they are part of the succulent family, and have meaty leaves that hold water.

Humidity levels do not phase the hardy Sedum Little Missy. They can grow in dry climates (like the Eastern Cape of South Africa), as well as humid climates. They thrive on moisture as long as you have the right soil with adequate drainage.

Which is the perfect segue into our next section – what soil you should use for your Little Missy plant.

Recommended Soil and Supplements

If you are going to get one thing right with your Little Missy, it has to be the quality and type of soil.

Like most succulents, Sedum Little Missy requires soil that has good draining properties. Usually a soil that is part sand will be suitable for growing Little Missy plants. If your soil is too wet and soggy, it will open your plant to diseases and pest infestations.

One of the things we love most about the Little Missy is that it is low – maintenance And we do mean ‘low’. Sedum Little Missy do not require any special fertilizer or feed to grow. They will use whatever nutrients are available in their surrounding environment.

That said, if you do want to feed them, a general all-purpose liquid fertilizer will do nicely. Feed them in the spring months to give them a boost and maintain their beautiful green color.

Water Requirements

Another low-maintenance aspect of the Little Missy is their minimal water needs. We recommend allowing the soil to completely dry between each watering.

For succulents, it is always better to err on the side of too dry, than too wet. Most succulents are designed by mother nature to withstand a dry patches. And Little Missy is no different.

We like to employ the soil moisture finger test to determine when to water our Little Missy plants. It is a quick and convenient method that has not let us down.

Other General Maintenance

The only other general husbandry responsibility you may want to consider is pruning your Little Missy plants.

When given the right conditions, Little Missy plants are quick growers. This is perfect when you want something to quickly cover the ground. However, if grown in pots, they can quickly outgrow their containers (unless you like the overgrown look like we do).

To prune, simply take a sterilized pair of garden scissors and trim. You can actually use the trimmings to propagate baby Little Missy plants in new pots, or around your garden.

Common Problems & Pests

Unfortunately, the Sedum Little Missy plants can be susceptible to garden pests. The usual suspects, like mealy bugs, aphids, fungus gnats and spider mites can infest your succulent. If not controlled or stopped early, an infestation can potentially weaken and kill your plants.

Early detection via inspection is the best way to prevent the demise of your plants. Otherwise, isolating and treating infected plants with an insecticide will help to stop any pests from getting out of hand.

How to Propagate Little Missy Plant

Propagating plants is the part of being a green thumb that gets us really excited. And growing new Little Missy plants could not be easier.

In fact, we’ve often propagated new Little Missy plants by accident – and they are always happy accidents! Like this one in the image below that self propagated itself in between our lawn!

Here is the short and easy way to propagate Sedum Little Missy plants:

Required Materials Checklist

• Little Missy cuttings
• Succulent potting soil
• Pot

Little Missy Plant Propagation Instructions

1. Fill your pot with succulent potting soil (or have a go at creating your own soil using our recipe above)
2. Water your soil with a healthy serving of distilled or filtered water. Ensure the excess water drains completely from the pots’ drainage holes
3. Lay your Little Missy cuttings on top of the moist soil. Gently push the cuttings down onto the soil to ensure the cuttings are in contact with the soil. This will encourage your cuttings to develop roots.
4. Every few days, check the soil to make sure the topsoil is moist (but not soggy). Our aim is to encourage root growth. Therefore, we need to supply constant moisture.

Note, you don’t have to use cuttings for the propagation process. Simply lay some thin strands of the Little Missy mother plant on top of some fresh soil in a pot, and the thin vines will eventually root themselves into the new soil. Then all you need to do is cut them free from the main plant, and you will have new plants ready to go.

Here is an example of some stray Little Missy cuttings that we placed in our garden bed. We didn’t even feed or water the cuttings. Simply placed the cuttings on some exposed soil, and let nature do it’s thing (this is why we LOVE Little Missy plants!)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Little Missy Sedum and Little Missy Crassula?

Even though from afar the Little Missy Sedum and Crassula are hard to distinguish, there are some smaller differences when you place them side by side.

The differences are largely in the growth patterns of the leaves and flowers. Little Missy Crassula plants generally have 5 stamens and 5 petals. Whereas the Little Missy Sedum has 10 stamens and 5 petals.

The Crassula is actually a dwarf version of the Crassula pellucida subsp. marginalis, which often gets mistaken as the Sedum Little Missy.

Either way, they are both beautiful succulents, that will bring you many years of happiness.

Can Little Missy grow indoors?

Yes Little Missy plants will grow indoors, because they are hardy and very adaptable. This is part of the reason why we love them so much. Make sure to position them in a space that receives plenty of direct sunlight. They will appreciate the light and reward you with beautiful miniature blooms.

Are Little Missy plants toxic to pets?

The good news is the Sedum Little Missy is NOT TOXIC to cats and dogs (or other pets for that matter). In some cases, they have been known to be used by humans as a sedative with antiseptic properties.