Hi Josh, I'm sad to say that condition of both my jades worsened. I came back from a trip away to find that both were almost completely rotten. The person caring for them felt terrible but I told her the plants weren't healthy to begin with. I got them both while living in the Shenandoah Valley (Virginia). One 5 years ago, one 3 years ago. They were very happy in a sunny spot on my porch during the summer months. I took them with me on an extended trip to western Michigan 2 years ago and one ended up with a strange yellow-brown fungus that leaked out of the drainage hole. I repotted that one but it never really recovered. I moved to Ohio and the days and days with little to no sun really seemed to stunt both plants. Leaves crinkled and once an entire branch dropped. Just before I went out of town last month I took a risk and cut back both plants considerably. When I returned two weeks later both were decimated. I've kept the base of one in hopes that the new cut I made will heal and leaves will grow. In the meantime I've decided it's time to start again with two new jades. (picturess to come - currently between cameras). I'm hoping some cuttings I took from the original plants will root as well. Here are a few babies that seem okay so far. They're about two weeks in: Sorry for rambling. It's just nice to be able to share plant woes with sympathetic readers.

There is lots of variability in leaf morphology with "Jade plants". By the way, let's try to be a little more scientific and call them by the real name, Crassula portulacea I think is the current name, but C argentea and C ovata are perfectly acceptable synonyms. Anyway, were the leaves ever different? Maybe they're not supposed to be plump. Crassula arborescens ssp undulatifolia looks similar, with flattened but pointier leaves. This group of plants are in active growth when days are warm and sunny, with cool evenings. They can be pruned anytime during these conditions, which for most of us is spring and fall. Where to cut is a matter of taste and how you want your plant to look. Right above a node is safe. Too close and you may damage any meristematic tissue. Leave a little extra, it can always be trimmed back later. I believe pruning at the same time as repotting is safe, it will reduce the plants water needs during the initial stress of root-shock. Overall, Crassulas are very tough plants and you can probably ignore most of my advice and the results will be good anyway. The only definite thing is not to do anything when they are dormant at the height of summer heat and in the depths of the winter doldrums.

The vines are not massive and unruly since they are in heavy shade for 45 years or longer. How can the vines not be massive and unruly if they are over 45 years old? I am severely allergic to Carolina jasmine, even though I love the flowers and their fragrance. Not only am I allergic to the flowers, but I am also allergic to the mold that grows on the dead parts of the vines - I cannot go anywhere near those vines without a horrible attack of hay fever. You could easily be wrong about who the inconsiderate party is. If you had a tangerine tree overhanging into my yard, that would be a different story. I used to get tangerines from my neighbors in Venice, and they would get figs from my tree that shaded part of their patio. It's a good thing they liked figs, however, as they can be very messy. I think you are best growing vines on a trellis that is placed in front of your wall, so that the vines do not grow over it. I consider Carolina jasmine a pest, no matter how much I want to love it.

Quite a few use timed release types like the Osmocote you can buy. I've known several who liked fish emulsion. Personally, I use Miracle Gro All Purpose water soluble, "weakly, weekly". Instead of a table spoon per gallon, I use a tea spoon per gallon. Instead of every two weeks, I will feed the weaker solution, weekly. You can always add more, but it's quite difficult to take any away. As long as you water appropriately, you can't burn with a weak solution.