Blue Chalksticks
Curio repens
Also listed as Cacalia repens, Kleinia repens
Climate Match for your location
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A low-growing succulent groundcover with slender, blue-gray cylindrical leaves that create a soft, feathery appearance. Produces small white or pale pink flowers in late summer and is excellent for rock gardens, containers, and dry landscapes.
Why grow it
Blue Chalksticks offers a distinctive fine texture and cool blue-gray foliage color that distinguishes it from coarser succulents in xeriscape plantings. Its low, spreading habit makes it useful as a groundcover in well-drained sites where taller sedums or echeveria would be less appropriate. The late-summer flowers provide modest seasonal interest without requiring supplemental water in established plantings across USDA zones 9-11.
Watch out for
This species performs best in lean, sandy, or gravelly soil and may decline in rich garden soil prone to retain moisture. In humid climates or poorly drained locations, root rot can develop despite the plant's drought tolerance, so site selection and soil amendment matter more than in arid regions.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Asteraceae
Native Range
South Africa
Seasonality
Bloom Season
Season of Interest
Ground cover
Low spreading plants that carpet the soil.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Propagation
A low-growing succulent groundcover with slender, blue-gray cylindrical leaves that create a soft, feathery appearance. Produces small white or pale pink flowers in late summer and is excellent for rock gardens, containers, and dry landscapes.
Climate Match for your location
See how well Blue Chalksticks grows in your area.
Enter your ZIP code and we'll show you how this plant fits your local climate.
Why grow it
Blue Chalksticks offers a distinctive fine texture and cool blue-gray foliage color that distinguishes it from coarser succulents in xeriscape plantings. Its low, spreading habit makes it useful as a groundcover in well-drained sites where taller sedums or echeveria would be less appropriate. The late-summer flowers provide modest seasonal interest without requiring supplemental water in established plantings across USDA zones 9-11.
Watch out for
This species performs best in lean, sandy, or gravelly soil and may decline in rich garden soil prone to retain moisture. In humid climates or poorly drained locations, root rot can develop despite the plant's drought tolerance, so site selection and soil amendment matter more than in arid regions.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Asteraceae
Native Range
South Africa
Seasonality
Bloom Season
Season of Interest
Ground cover
Low spreading plants that carpet the soil.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Propagation
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