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Painted Lady

Echeveria derenbergii, Crassulaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called baby echeveria, Blue Echeveria, Copper Rose, Maroon Chenille Plant, Plush Plant and Wax Rosette.

Painted Lady (Echeveria derenbergii), the whole plant.
Salicyna, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Listed as non-toxic to cats by ASPCA.
  • Listed as non-toxic to dogs by ASPCA.
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exception
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H2 — 1–5°C 1–5 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Non-toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Non-toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Painted lady needs very little water; avoid overwatering. Water with lukewarm water, as cold water can make leaves drop.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
During growth water generously; at other times keep just moist.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Every two weeks in late spring and summer, give a diluted low nitrogen fertilizer.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Repotting
Repot houseplants when they need it, ideally in spring.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Offsets can be used in spring, and stem or leaf cuttings also work.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
In spring or early summer, root stem or leaf cuttings; detach offsets in spring.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Pruning is not needed.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Can be troubled by aphids, vine weevil and mealybugs. Diseases: usually none.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Flowers of Painted Lady (Echeveria derenbergii).
FlowersSalicyna, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Echeveria derenbergii, the painted-lady, is a species of flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae, endemic to eastern Oaxaca in Mexico.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
Mexico (E. Oaxaca)
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Mexico
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Mexico
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
seasonally dry tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
succulent subshrub
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Herbaceous Perennial, Succulent; habit mounding
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Bushy (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 3–4 in; width 1–3 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height Up to 10 cm; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 2–5 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers gold/yellow, red/burgundy; blooms in spring, winter
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers red in spring, summer and winter; yellow in spring, summer and winter
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Other Echeveria

More of the Crassulaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.