Narrow Chalk Sticks Senecio

Narrow Chalk Sticks (Senecio talinoides subsp. mandraliscae) is the blue grey succulent groundcover landscape designers keep coming back to. It grows to about 400mm tall and spreads to 800mm, sending up dense fingers of chalky blue foliage that hold their colour all year. It is drought hardy, salt hardy and almost impossible to kill in a sunny, well drained spot.

Why you'll love it

• Colour that does not fade. The powdery blue grey foliage is constant through every season, a reliable contrast against green planting and pale gravel.
• It survives real neglect. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant and happy in poor soil, so it holds up on the hot dry edges where nothing else looks good.
• Built for the coast. Salt tolerant, so exposed beachside beds and windy foreshore gardens suit it.
• Low, spreading and tidy. Under 400mm tall with a neat habit, so it never needs cutting back off a path.
• Almost no maintenance. No feeding, minimal watering, and a light tidy once a year is the entire routine.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 40cm apart for a spreading carpet. At that spacing the fingers knit into continuous cover within a season or two in warm weather.

Rockeries, walls and pots. Sharp drainage between rocks is exactly what it wants, and the blue foliage spilling over a wall edge is the classic use. In a container it works as a low skirt around a taller succulent.

Growing narrow chalk sticks in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the strongest blue colour and tightest growth, while shade turns it green and floppy. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens, and takes light frost only, so cold southern gardens are better off growing it in a pot that can shift under cover.

Soil. Drainage is the only thing that really matters, and sandy, gravelly or rocky soils are ideal. On clay, plant on a raised mound and mulch with gravel rather than bark, since damp organic mulch against the stems invites rot.

Water and feed. Water it in at planting, then weekly for the first month, and after that only in extended dry weather. It stores its own water and drowns far more easily than it dries out. Fertiliser is unnecessary.

Pruning. Trim back any stems that lift or sprawl, and cut the planting back by about a third in early spring if it has gone leggy. Every trimmed piece strikes readily as a cutting.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold in one size, 120mm pots in packs of ten, currently on backorder and dispatched with the next crop. Ten plants at 40cm spacing cover a little over 1.5 square metres, so work out your area before ordering.

Succulents are among the best travellers we send, though the waxy blue bloom rubs off where plants touch packaging and takes a few weeks of new growth to return. Leave them somewhere bright for a few days before planting. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A grower's guide to blue chalksticks
• Browse the full succulent range
• Plants suited to rockeries and dry gardens
• Coastal and salt tolerant planting

Common questions

How many plants do I need to cover an area?

At 40cm spacing you need roughly six plants per square metre. A pack of ten covers a little over 1.5 square metres, a useful drift in a rockery or along a wall top.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. Senecio species are toxic if eaten, so keep it out of runs and yards where a pet grazes on plants. Most animals leave the bitter waxy foliage alone, but it is not a plant to rely on that with.

Why has my planting gone green and floppy?

Too much shade, too much water or too much fertiliser, and often all three. Move it to full sun, cut the watering back, and trim the leggy growth in early spring.