Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Blue Chalksticks
Blue Chalksticks is a low, spreading succulent with short, powdery blue-green leaves that form a low carpet 2 to 3 feet wide. It adds a silver-blue accent to ground cover beds, borders and containers. It prefers full sun but needs protection from the hottest summer weather in the Valley.
Best for: silver-blue borders and small ground cover beds, containers, and planters with afternoon shade.
Its short, powdery blue leaves form a low carpet 6 inches to a foot tall. It makes a striking silver-blue accent in borders and beds.
It grows well in containers and planters. Use a fast-draining mix and let it dry between waterings.
It spreads 2 to 3 feet wide and is commonly used as a ground cover in small beds.
It is hard to keep going in Phoenix summers, especially when it stays above 100°F for long. Give it afternoon shade and keep it away from pets.
- Groundcover planting12-18 in apart
Water regularly during the first growing season. Once rooted, let the soil dry out between waterings and give occasional water in hot, dry summers.
Long spells above 100°F are hard on it. Plant it where it gets afternoon shade in summer, and water deeply in the hottest stretches.
It is rated to about 20°F. Cover it with frost cloth that reaches the ground on colder nights, and take it off in the morning.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
Can blue chalksticks survive a Phoenix summer?
It struggles in long spells above 100°F. Give it afternoon shade and occasional deep water in hot, dry weather.
How big does it get?
It grows slowly into a low carpet about 6 inches to a foot tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. Give each plant that much room to spread.
How often should I water it?
Give it moderate water, letting the soil dry out between waterings. Water regularly the first season, and more often in the hottest months.
Is it cold hardy?
It is rated hardy to about 20°F. Cover it with frost cloth on nights colder than that.
Is it toxic to pets?
Yes. It is listed as toxic, and Senecio plants can damage the liver if pets eat them. Keep it out of reach of children and pets.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. It does well in containers with a fast-draining mix.
How is it different from blue fingers?
Blue chalksticks has shorter leaves and stays lower. Blue fingers has longer leaves and grows taller.
Does it flower?
It has small white flowers in summer, but it is grown for its blue leaves.
Blue Chalksticks for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Blue Chalksticks is a low, silver-blue succulent used as a ground cover and accent. It needs help getting through Valley summers. Below are the questions homeowners ask about it.
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Blue chalksticks in Phoenix
Blue chalksticks struggles in long spells above 100°F. Afternoon shade and occasional deep water help it through summer.
How big blue chalksticks gets
It forms a low carpet about 6 inches to a foot tall and 2 to 3 feet wide.
Watering blue chalksticks
Give it moderate water and let the soil dry between waterings. Water more often in the hottest months.
Blue chalksticks in containers
It does well in containers and planters with a fast-draining mix.
Blue chalksticks vs blue fingers
Blue chalksticks has shorter leaves and stays lower than blue fingers.
Blue chalksticks and pets
It is considered toxic, so keep it out of reach of children and pets.
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