Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate very little if at all once established. Though there is little information about this plant in cultivation, anecdotal reports suggest it can tolerate frost to 19 F. Some reports have also suggested that it can be somewhat fussy in cultivation, particularly if one attempts to cultivate it in soils that do not drain adequately. In our containers it has not been problematic, but we are growing it in the same good draining soil we use for succulent plants. It is a very attractive plant for the garden but seems not long lived and one can expect it to only last 3 to 5 years looking good.

Senecio palmeri is a rare endemic on Guadalupe Island, a volcanic island located 150 miles off the west coast of Baja California Peninsula where grows on rocky, well-drained volcanic slopes on the northern half of the island. The name for the genus comes from the Latin word 'senex' meaning "old" or "old man" in reference to its downy head of seeds. The specific epithet honors Dr. Edward Palmer, self-taught British botanist and early American archaeologist and plant collector for the Smithsonian who was the first botanist to visit Guadalupe Island, spending 3 months there in 1875 and describing 21 plants considered new to science. Palmer first collected the plant but it was described and named by the famed Harvard University's botany professor Asa Gray as "White Sage" and noted at that time as being very abundant on many warm slopes, from the middle to north end of the island. Gray described the plant as "about 3 feet high of diffuse habit, a very free and showy bloomer; beginning to flower early in February and maturing in May, when the air is filled with its downy seeds."

The American botanist Edward Lee Greene visited Guadalupe island in 1885 and added 15 additional new plants to the flora. When Palmer returned to Guadalupe Island in 1889, he made the following comment with reference to this plant: "Since my previous visit to this island this plant has decreased; spots that contained a thicket of it have now but dead plants, with a few scattering plants alive." Professor Greene also spoke of this plant as being quite common. The rapid extermination of this species seems to be a parallel to that of Cupressus guadalupensis, that Greene also referenced, stating "Fortunately Dr. Palmer has laid in a supply of this species and all American herbaria will have good specimens even if it should become extinct." (Proccedings of the California Academy I, 217). This cypress is a plant we also grow a selection of and call Cupressus guadalupensis 'Greenlee's Blue Rocket'. From this island we also grew the beautiful Guadalupe Palm Brahea edulis that is now fairly common in California gardens.

Santa Barbara's own famous Italian botanist Francesco Franceschi also visited Guadalupe Island in 1894 and noted the devastation on this island caused by goats and he counted 3 dozen plants of Senecio palmeri located on a basaltic cliff. These goats, thought to be originally deposited on the island by early 19th century whalers and sealers, eventually eliminated most vegetation which eventually caused the number of goats to decline and most recently these goats have been removed to allow the island to try to somewhat recover.

The 'Silver and Gold' cultivar is a plant we started trialing in October 2014 for the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden as accession SBBG 08-103. It was a selection of seed grown plants from seed collected in the wild on Guadalupe Island by garden trustee Bill Koonce in 2008. The garden officially named and introduced it into the trade in 2016 and we have been growing it ever since. 

The information about Senecio palmeri 'Silver and Gold' 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.