Buisl, Crassula Ovata's, like the one in your pictures, can actually withstand quite a big amount of pruning. I wouldn't suggest you prune it heavily, but you don't have to worry about pruning it too much. It'll survive. I got an Ovata from someone at work that didn't want it anymore. It was similar to your plant in that it was drooping everywhere. You can run by a hardware store and get wooden dow rods to act as support. You can use pieces of cloth to get the guy standing up. I'm not sure if you brought it inside just to take the pictures, but I'd get the Ovata outside in a partly sunny location. Ovata's love fresh air and that will be a good way to help it recover. In Michigan, you can leave them outside until probably the end of September. Then bring it in and put it in a south-facing window. I live in central Ohio, and I put mine outside in spring and bring them back inside in early October. Also, don't let it stand in water. Water it about every 1.5 weeks. I'd suggest getting a liquid fertilizer and feeding it every other watering. Also, the soil looks a little rich. It needs to be a good draining soil. I make my own. Here's how: I use 1 part commerical soil, with 1 part Perlite, with one part washed grit (very small pepples, essentially). Then you'll have a nice, well draining soil. I have 13 Crassula's, similar to the one in your pictures, but they are 5 different varieties. The soil I described works perfectly for them. I'm sure by next spring, he'll be a happy plant. Then give him a good pruning. Keep posting pictures to let us know how he's doing.

I have Goat's Beard (4-5') and Cimifuga (6-7')in shade. The Cimifuga is also very fragrant! I also have a good size clump of garden phlox that bloom nicely in light but complete shade. Astilbe Cattlyea (sp) is a 4' astilbe with great large pink blooms. Chelone (Turtlehead) gets about 3'. I also have a Dappled Willow Bush in mostly shade that draws lots of attention from visitors. I don't have but will try this year...Kerria -a shrub that has a long bloom time in shade with yellow flowers, single or double. A not real tall but nice geranium for shade is Samobar, faily upright, about 2' variegated with maroon flowers. Have fun!

Done. :-)

It isn't terrible, but does look dated. When I bought my house, the fireplace was terrible. I believe old, dated brick SHOULD be painted. You can use latex paint eggshell finish, diluted 50% with water and sponge on. It leaves the brick texture, without an awful high gloss fake look. I don't advocate whitewash because it doesn't look natural at all with most brick tones. Pick any neutral color. Don't use stark white, as that won't go with your furniture or the style of your home. You might consider BM Lancaster Whitewash. Looks really good with brick, and is a warm off-white. I used BM Classic Gray (a very light beigy gray) which was the same as my wall color and minimized the monstrosity. It doesn't take long to use a sponge brush. Very minimal effort. You can leave the arched section as is Often the brick there has soot, and without a ton of elbow grease is difficult to clean. Paint may not stick. But the rest is easy. Do vacuum first! Everyone who sees my fireplace now loves it (none of them are shy about telling the truth). I think your TV would look far better on a bigger media stand, or build shelves to match the alcove size. Semi-customized shelving and cabinets would modernize the look and look less jury-rigged. The mantle and upper wood sections might look a lot better painted to match the fireplace. I left my mantle which looks lilke yours. Once the brick was updated, the mantle actually looked way better. Good luck with your project.