Hi Toni! Thanks for the reply. Yes, it's browning and shriveling up by the soil. It used to be so full of "peas" by the soil that you couldn't see the soil. Now, there's no green by the soil at all. :( I looked all over the web for answers, but could only find help if my SOPs were turning dark green and mushy, which is not the case here. I hope these last until the warm weather! I'm in New Hampshire - zone 5, so we still have a while to go. *crossing fingers* ~Melanie

Mine burns in full sun so I give it filtered sun and it looks much better. I have mine in a tall terracotta pot so it can drape over the sides and water it when ever I think about it. It was in full bloom about a month or two ago but the flower stems attracted tons of aphids so I just cut the whole thing back severely. The blooms smell like carnations. Really a very easy plant that doesn't need much care but I am not sure how your high humidity will affect it.

Helen, the above plant is Sedum morganianum. and like rina posted it's common name can be burros tail or donkeys tail. I've always like the colorful common names but if you own more than a few plants you really need to use the horticultural name, I'm not sure what your second question is. To make a easy succulent mix you can add pelrlte to a commercial cactus and succulent mix.

The soil shrank because it is full of peat that became hydrophobic. It is very difficult to rewet again, and you most likely overwatered it. So from one extreme to another. It has been underwatered, overwatered and maybe even burned if exposed to too much sunlight suddenly. Unfortunately, it really doesn't make much difference what store you buy the plant from - they all most likely keep plants in soil it came in from the grower. Even if they repot plants, they use similar potting media. I wonder about that hanging pot - usually, they have some drainage hole but it is raised. That creates shallow 'moat' that will keep excess soil, probably mucky if overwatered. Or there is no drainage, or there is a saucer attached that also slows down drainage. So all these combined will create bad conditions for plants. Plant should be taken out, all old soil should be taken off the roots. You may have to rinse/blast it off with a hose. If any strings have roots, they should be planted in well draining mix. Any dead roots and parts of plant/stems should be cut off - they won't come back to life. Healthy pieces could be stuck in a well draining mix. They could also be laid over the mix, making sure part of stem is touching the mix - put a small rock on it or pin it down so it stays in contact. they will eventually root. Do not use very deep pot, it holds too much soil/mix and if it is water retaining, makes things bad again. Hanging pots are best for these plants, but make sure there is good drainage. I use many of those pots, but drill extra holes all over the bottom - it will drain and drip water, so either keep somewhere where it doesn't matter, or use some kind of tray to catch it. You could also take it to the sink, water, let all excess water to drain for a while and then put in its place. If using Cactus&Succulent soil, get a bag of perlite. Sift or rinse it, and mix at least 50/50 with C&S soil. And please, fill up the pot - as it is, I can't see any soil there...Mix should come up no lower than 1" or less from the top of container.