Plant in full sun to light shade in a well-drained soil where it requires very little irrigation. This species has proven hardy to 25° F and likely this cultivar will prove as hardy. It is listed as resistant to deer predation and its succulent nature makes it both drought tolerant and resistant to burning, so a good choice with other succulents in dry gardens were wildfires are a concern. Its unique upright form might make it best suited to a large container or possibly planted in a corner or even used as a low hedge - could be quite dramatic in a modern home setting.

Senecio 'Mount Everest' is the result of a controlled breeding program conducted in 2004 by Lammert Koning at Paterswolde in Holland with the goal of developing new Senecio plants with unique and attractive leaf shape and plant form. It is a hybrid using Senecio ficoides 'Portugal L52' as the seed parent with the pollen coming from Senecio ficoides 'Lin 05'. It received U.S. Plant Patent PP22,188 in October 2011 with the cultivar name 'Mount Everest', but is being more widely sold in the U.S. in the Sunset Western Garden Plant Collection using the trademarked marketing name "Skyscraper". The species Senecio ficoides grows naturally around the Northern Cape, Namaqualand, Alexander Bay in eastern South Africa. Besides large Kleinia it is also commonly called Flat-leaved Senecio, Silver Senecio and Big Blue Chalk Sticks. The name for the genus comes from the Latin word 'senex' meaning "old" or "old man" in reference to its downy head of seeds and the specific epithet is from the pre-Linnean name for plants in the genus Mesembryanthemum, which this plant superficially resembles. Recent treatment of this plant in the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew databases has the current name of this plant as Curio ficoides (L.) P.V. Heath but in the most current written reference we have available, The Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Dicotyledons edited by Urs Eggli (2002), the contributor for this section, Gordon Rowley, lists Senecio ficoides (Linné) Schulz-Bipontinus as the correct name Since this plant has long been in the California nursery trade as Senecio ficoides, we continue to use this name until such time as the newer names become better recognized. The genus name Curio means "to lean" in reference to several related species with a leaning or decumbent habit.

For more information about the species, see our listing of Senecio ficoides. 

The information about Senecio ficoides 'Mount Everest' PP22,188 displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.