Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Blue Fingers
Blue Fingers is a low succulent with upright, powdery blue-green finger-like leaves that branch from the base and root along the stems. It grows about 1 to 1.5 feet tall and spreads 2 to 3 feet, adding a cool blue color to ground cover beds and rock gardens. In the Valley it does best with morning sun and shade in the afternoon.
Best for: blue foliage color in ground cover beds, rock gardens, and spots with morning sun.
Its upright, powdery blue-green leaves add a cool color next to green and flowering plants. They look good all year.
It branches from the base and roots along the stems, spreading 2 to 3 feet. It suits ground cover beds and rock gardens.
In the hot desert it needs light shade or a north-facing spot. Morning sun with afternoon shade suits it well.
Hot afternoon sun is too much for it in the Valley. Most growers rate it to about 15°F, and it is best kept away from pets that chew plants.
- Groundcover planting12-18 in apart
Water it moderately, and let the soil dry out between waterings. Water new plants more often for the first few weeks.
In the hot desert it needs light shade or a north-facing spot. Morning sun with shade in the afternoon keeps the leaves blue and healthy.
Most growers rate it to about 15°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.
Does blue fingers need shade in Phoenix?
Yes. In the hot desert it needs light shade or a north-facing spot. Give it morning sun and afternoon shade.
How big does it get?
It grows about 1 to 1.5 feet tall and spreads 2 to 3 feet as it roots along its stems. Leave that much room at the front of a bed.
How often should I water it?
Let the soil dry out between waterings, then water deeply. It is drought tolerant once rooted and needs very little water in winter.
Is it cold hardy?
Most growers rate it hardy to about 15°F, and one desert grower rates it to 25°F. Cover it on the rare nights colder than that.
Is it toxic to pets?
Yes. Senecio plants are listed as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and eating them can damage the liver. Plant it where pets will not chew on it.
Is blue fingers the same as blue chalk sticks?
They are close relatives and are often sold under each other's names. Blue fingers has longer leaves and grows taller.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. It does well in pots and planters with a fast-draining succulent mix.
Does it flower?
It has small white flowers, but it is grown for its blue leaves.
Does blue fingers stay blue all year?
Yes. It is an evergreen succulent, so the blue-gray leaves stay on through winter. Plant it where the color can stand out next to green or dark plants.
Blue Fingers for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Blue Fingers is a low succulent grown for its powdery blue, finger-like leaves. It needs afternoon shade in the Valley. Below are the questions homeowners ask about it.
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Blue fingers succulent in Phoenix
Blue fingers needs light shade or a north-facing spot in the hot desert. Morning sun and afternoon shade suit it.
How big blue fingers gets
It grows about 1 to 1.5 feet tall and spreads 2 to 3 feet by rooting along its stems.
Watering blue fingers
Let the soil dry between waterings, then water deeply. Soggy soil causes rot, so plant it where water drains.
Blue fingers vs blue chalk sticks
Blue fingers has longer leaves and grows taller. Blue chalk sticks stays lower with shorter leaves.
Frost care for blue fingers
Most growers rate it to about 15°F. Cover it on the rare nights colder than that.
Blue fingers and pets
Senecio plants are listed as toxic to pets. Plant it where pets will not chew on it.
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